


Gold and Silver Light

by bertererei



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Soldiers, Dysfunctional Family, Foul Language, Found Family, Gen, Hand-wavy memory shenanigans, OOC, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Politics, Spoiler for the manga, Torture, Unnecessarily gruesome violence/gore, War, discrimination against Eldians, haitus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28887735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bertererei/pseuds/bertererei
Summary: The world is grander, much more vast, than you'd ever imagined possible. The field of sand, the fire water, the ice ground, and the ocean you dreamt of when you were a child is all very much real. Pile the corpses at your feet, oh Fake Emperor in Rags, and climb over that wall that dares to stand in your way.Come and claim this world, my Imposter King of Dreams.Your subjects eagerly await your fall.
Relationships: Eren Yeager & Everyone
Comments: 25
Kudos: 180





	1. Too late, the melody is over

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently, unless I finish this story from start to finish, Bertolt plans on ruining everything else I try to write. You want someone to find you? Alright. Fine. 
> 
> There's some tweaks to the story, hence the complete revamp. The beginning didn't change much, but there were a lot of parts that weren't working with me. So I just threw out all 14 chapters that were written. Let's hope that it goes better this time. For Bertolt's sake. lol.
> 
> I tried my best to use existing characters when I can. Unfortunately, a good portion of them don't have names in canon, which makes it really awkward to refer to them in a written medium. For my own sanity's sake, I gave them names. If you don't like OCs, dodge this story.
> 
> Please note the character deaths, mild torture, and unnecessarily gruesome violence/gore tags. For once, I'm not talking just about OCs. If you have favorites you don't want to see die in a gory way or be tortured (especially ones that might not be dead in canon as of chapter 136), exit tab.
> 
> If that wasn't clear, yes, there are spoilers for the manga.
> 
> All the chapter titles are lyrics from "Dreaming Wide Awake" by Poets of the Fall.
> 
> Warnings stay the same: Canon divergence AU. Character deaths. Unnecessarily gruesome violence/gore. Mild torture. Foul language. Spoilers for the manga. Discrimination against Eldians. War. Politics. Child soldiers. Dysfunctional family. Found Family. Hand-wavy memory shenanigans. OCs. OOC.
> 
> EDIT: The most amazing [Alice_BrokenWonderland143](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_BrokenWonderland143) created a [fanart](https://twitter.com/q21_yumeno/status/1363466736025051137) for this story! Please check it out and shower them with love! Eren looks so regal in the ocean while saluting~ And the colors~ It's a feast for the eyes!

**Prologue A - Year 837**

"To you inheriting my position..."

The sound of screams explode in his ears, filling this idle space with brutality that has yet to happen in this moment in time.

"I have no doubts that you are anxious and afraid. Your trust has been betrayed time and time again."

A monstrous man that he will thankfully never meet looms before his eyes with blades drawn. The words "serves you right" hang mockingly in the air, but he doesn't feel any vindication. How can he when those words feel more like they're aimed at himself than anyone else? And just as quickly the vision disappears, leaving him in this empty room with his letter.

"And now you find yourself here with no one by your side you can trust."

An oriental girl with her red scarf smiles kindly at him. A blonde boy with a giant book in his arms grin shakily. He watches helplessly as a blade embeds deep into the oriental girl's neck through the red scarf. Is that red from her blood? Is it the color of her scarf? He can't tell. The blonde boy's nervous grin is set afire, leaving nothing but a charred remain.

"To tell you things will get easier from now on would be too cruel of me. The fact that I'm leaving so many things for you to shoulder is already weighing on my very soul. But I have left for you as many tools as I could gather."

He feels the bitter laughter bubbling up from his chest from the one who will be reading this. He feels the biting hate from the one who he has yet to meet, will never meet. He feels the accusatory glare from across time.

"You shitty old man... Why didn't you leave something useful?!"

How odd. All such angry words do is make his lips twitch in amusement. Don't worry, Future Inheritor. The uses of these tools will become clear with time.

"It will be hard. Of that, I have no illusions. You will consider giving up countless times. But you will push through. You must keep moving forward. Just as I have done. Just as the ones before me have done."

The fires he sees before his eyes are not from the future. It's a scene of the past that has come to represent his resolve. The one who will come after him will have something like this. Something that will drive him forward, no matter how much he loses, no matter the sacrifices.

"I leave our future in your hands."

Before he can sign the letter, he sees the drops of red land on the paper. A nose bleed? Damn. He quickly move the letter to safety while tilting his head back to prevent any more blood from falling.

Someone hands him their handkerchief. He accepts it with a soft thanks and holds it against his nose. When he feels confident that it will not drip onto the letter, he signs it.

"Are you done, Eren?" the person who offered him the handkerchief asks.

"Yes. Will you take care of the delivery, doctor?"

The doctor lets out a small sigh of annoyance but accepts the letter anyways. "Why do you even bother with this? Can't you guys figure it out with your titan powers?"

"This is insurance."

"Of course, it is," the doctor says, voice dripping in sarcasm. "Well, if you're done here, don't you have a boat to catch?"

"You're a slave driver as always."

Despite complaining as such, Eren stands up. He slowly takes the handkerchief away from his nose and is satisfied to see that he is no longer bleeding. When he holds it out to return it to the doctor, he receives a grimace in answer. Looks like he'll be keeping this. He has no doubts he'll be needing it before the end.

He takes a look around the room. It's a modest place with minimal furniture. He used it well while he was here. And now it's time to say goodbye, because there's no way that he'll ever be able to return here. It would've been nice if his Future Inheritor could use this place, but that's not the fate awaiting that poor child.

"I thought I was prepared, but I seem to be hesitating," he admits out loud.

"Hesitate or not, your term is almost up. Take responsibility for the lives you sacrificed and do your duty," the doctor reminds him coldly.

Never change, Niko. That same coldness will serve well when he finally meets the Future Inheritor. By that, Eren means his Future Inheritor would be served well. No need for this cranky doctor to be served.

Closing his eyes, Eren takes a deep breath. He conjures up the image of the fire that has always been his drive. As long as those bodies continue to burn in his memories, he will always have a reason to move forth.

Eren Kruger makes his peace and heads out.

* * *

**Prologue B - Year 845**

He feels his lips pull back into an annoyed scowl. It's not fair. It's not. He doesn't like it at all.

"Porco," his brother sighs heavily, "pouting at me won't change anything."

"But I should be the one going with you," he argues.

Marcel rolls his eyes. "And then get promptly eaten or killed? You're not a Warrior."

"But I could have been! If it wasn't for stupid Reiner, I would be by your side as the Armored."

If Porco was smarter, he wonders if he would understand what that look on his brother's face means. It's because he's this stupid that he wasn't allowed to inherit the Armored. It's because he's this stupid that he won't be trusted on this mission. It's because he's this stupid that he will always lag behind everyone else.

"Don't be like that," Marcel scolds, flicking Porco's forehead. "Wait here patiently for me, alright? I'll be back quickly."

There is no reason to doubt Marcel's words. He has always been the best among all of them. If not Zeke, then Marcel is the de facto leader of the Warriors. Porco knows that. How could he not when he spends all his time staring at his brother's back, wondering if he'll ever be enough to stand right behind him?

"Bring me a souvenir," Porco mumbles.

His brother laughs and gently taps his fist against Porco's chest. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

**Prologue C - Year 850**

What resolutely determined eyes.

Zeke can't bring himself to look away.

When Reiner and Bertolt reported to him, he didn't think much of it. The current holder of the Founding Titan is a brat of a child who doesn't know anything, they said. They tried to convince him to come with them. But it didn't work. So they should either allow that child to be eaten by any of Zeke's new pure titans he created or be prepared for a long fight to drag that child out to the ocean.

"It's... possible, I think. If we were to rip his limbs off and carry him while he's unconscious. But we'll have to fight to the death for something like that," had been Reiner's reluctant words.

No wonder they struggled so much.

No wonder this mission stretched on for so long.

This child is...

"You look nothing like your father."

Confusion is clear on the child's face.

Didn't know anything, Bertolt and Reiner reported. Did that bastard of their father pump this poor child with nothing but rage and hate without explaining anything? Turn this clueless and innocent child into the weapon that he wanted Zeke to be? And it must have been easier here, where no one knew anything of the outside world. This child could be tainted in any way their twisted father needed.

Zeke's heart weeps for his little brother.

"... Eren, someday, I'll come to save you."

Until then, don't lose heart. Don't give up to these barbarians' ideals and throw your life away.

Zeke will come.

Just wait a little bit longer.

* * *

**Prologue D - Year 854**

"Momma, what's that?" the small child asks, pointing at the strange device that's being set up in the town square of the Liberio internment zone.

"That's called a guillotine. It's used on evil people who hurt everyone."

"Like who?"

"Like the King of Devils."

The child frowns. "But momma, isn't he the King of all Eldians?"

"Oh goodness no!" the mother kneels down so that she can be at eye level with her child. "We are good Eldians. He is only a king to the devils on that island."

"Excuse me, ma'am. I couldn't help but to overhear. Don't forget. Our glorious Marleyan Empire have laid waste to those devils. How can someone be a king when there are no subjects to rule over?" one of the workers on the guillotine calls out.

The mother smiles and thanks the worker for the help. Then she pulls her child hurriedly away from the area.

"What should we call him then, momma?" the curious child asks.

"Filthy devils like him don't deserve to be remembered by name," comes the curt answer.

The child nods slowly and wisely doesn't mention the fliers scattered about.

They read, "Cleanse this world of Eldian sins. Come watch the public execution of the King of Paradis, Eren Jaeger."

* * *

**Prologue E - Year 854**

Hey, this is a joke, right?

After everything, surely there's more planned, right?

Is this seriously it? Hey, Eren...

Porco stares as the King of Eldia walks onto the guillotine, a serene smile on his face. He looks regal. Like how royalty should look before his people. But the people that he is supposedly the king of...

The crowd jeers.

Without understanding anything, they mock the king that they've never acknowledged, never trusted, never wanted.

Idiots. Why can't they see the very simple logic? The minute their king dies, all Eldians everywhere will lose their protection. They will be exterminated with great prejudice for their long history of violence. Do they seriously believe that if their king... if Eren dies, that they will suddenly be treated like every day, normal people?

That future went up in flames the minute they built this guillotine and screamed for their king's head.

Eren, there's more planned, right?

Porco isn't going to lose his brother's souvenir, his last memento?

His King?

What was the last four years for, if Eren was going to let everything end this way?

The Marleyans force the young king to kneel, locking his neck in place.

"Wait-"

The blade falls.


	2. The joke seems to be on me cos I'm the one not laughing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing's changed for this chapter, for those of you returning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It's true that we deceived you, but it wasn't all lies! We really did think of you as friends! I know we don't have the right to apologize, but... someone... Please someone, I'm begging you... Someone find us..."
> 
> What pathetic words.
> 
> But they keep ringing in Eren's head. Again and again, round and round.
> 
> "It wasn't all lies!"
> 
> How funny. It's so damned funny that it makes Eren sick to his stomach.
> 
> "Please someone..."
> 
> He tries to claw and bite the hands forcing him down. No. He refuses. He already lost so much. He won't lose this. Not this. Not-
> 
> Hange's blade comes down, pinning Eren's left hand down to the ground. But Eren has been in pain so often today that it doesn't register as anything more than an inconvenience that stole his movement. He snarls and reaches out with his right hand.
> 
> "You're too sloppy. Do this properly," Levi scolds.
> 
> It takes Eren a second to realize that Levi is talking to Hange. And by the time that realization has settled, Levi's boot makes contact harshly against his temple. The hit by itself isn't what rattles Eren. It's what follows soon after. Levi's hand grips Eren's head and bashes his head against the ground.
> 
> The world spins. His ears ring. His consciousness flickers.
> 
> "I'm begging you..."
> 
> Eren coughs and tastes iron in his mouth. But it helps ground him back to reality. There's no one holding him down anymore. He desperately searches for the key around his neck, but it's not there. It's not there. It's-
> 
> Hange has it in her hand. She looks down at Eren with a stoic expression that Eren can't read. Jean and Connie refuse to make eye contact with him.
> 
> Levi kneels next to Eren with a cold look. "Reflect on your actions."
> 
> He pulls out Hange's blade that has been pinning Eren's hand down. Then he swings it down.
> 
> "Someone find us..."

This discomfort Bertolt feels when he wakes is not because of his strange posture when he sleeps. It's most definitely because of his missing limbs. From there, it doesn't take long for him to remember what happened.

He lost.

He must have. He can't imagine why else he would be in what looks to be a stable wooden cart with bunch of supplies and that figure clutching a red scarf (Probably Mikasa to guard him) in the corner.

Armin outsmarted him, and Eren defeated him.

That's all there is to it.

How strange. His heart feels at ease.

The undefeatable Colossal Titan was brought down by two teenagers who don't know the first thing about the sins that their ancestors have committed or the existence of Marley. The rest of the world would seethe when they find out. Even with their advanced technology and weaponry, no one has ever managed to best the Colossal Titan. Yet these two know-nothings with their guts and bravado did it.

That's just like Eren to turn an impossible situation into one that's favorable for him. Everything always goes his way, doesn't it? As if the world itself is bending to the will of the holder of the Founding Titan.

Must be nice.

If Bertolt had something like that, he wouldn't have bothered with becoming a Warrior. Ah, he supposes it won't work that way. He needs to first become a titan shifter, after all. But it's nice to think about anyways.

Are the others also caught like this? Or have they been killed? Reiner especially seemed like he was in a pretty bad spot when Bertolt last checked on him. So it's quite possible that he didn't make it. Zeke and Pieck are much smarter than both Bertolt and Reiner, so they probably got away. It would be nice if the Survey Corps suffered some damages for the future Warriors who will have to come to this island to kidnap Eren.

But that's already something that doesn't concern Bertolt.

The cart that he's in isn't moving, and he doesn't hear or see any horses. So most likely, the Survey Corps is still taking care of gathering the wounded and burying the dead. Actually, it's also possible that Zeke finished wiping out their horses, so they're all just sitting here, waiting for who knows what.

Oh wait. This is Shiganshina.

They're probably looking for Eren's house for that mystery in the basement. It's odd that they left Mikasa here then. But maybe she sprained her ankle or something. Maybe she felt tired. Either way, it doesn't really matter all that much to him in the end.

What does is what's going to happen to him now.

Armin said again and again that the Military Police was torturing Annie. But Zeke had called that a lie. Talking to Armin a second time confirmed Zeke's suspicion. The only one who can save Annie is Bertolt? Even for Armin, that was laying it too thickly. She must be fine. As Zeke said, she's probably just hanging out somewhere, practicing her kicks.

That would be nice. She spent a long time doing everything for the three of them. If she could have some time for herself, that would be best.

But if Annie has that much leeway in terms of freedom, then will Bertolt? But wouldn't Eren be upset at that turn of events? He did promise to kill Bertolt as painfully as possible. Ergo, it makes the most amount of sense that Bertolt will be tortured, doesn't it?

He sighs.

Don't get him wrong, everyone in the Warriors Division received torture training. And Bertolt highly doubts that the people of Paradis will be able to come up with torture worse than what Marleyans did. But it's not like he wants to be tortured, you know? If everyone is already dead, he wonders if it's fine to give up and tell the Paradisian Eldians everything.

Just consider his own family dead.

Give up.

"... Bertolt?"

A shudder of fear clutches Bertolt's lungs, making it hard to breath.

Naïve.

He was much too naïve.

Mikasa? Hah.

He wishes it was someone that easy to deal with. Of course, it's not Mikasa. Since when has the world been that kind to him? And now that he thinks about it, why would Mikasa hold the red scarf? She would wear it.

But man, the Survey Corps must be quite confident in their victory if they left Bertolt's target in the same cart as him.

"E-Eren," Bertolt manages out. "You uh... You did it. C-congrats."

He winces. What the hell does that even mean? He should've kept his mouth shut. The last thing is for Eren to get angry and-

"Pftt... Do I look so pitiful that you have to congratulate me?" Eren asks, lips drawn into a humorless grin.

There's... a bite of feralness to Eren. Don't get Bertolt wrong. Eren has always been a mad dog. But it never sounded on edge like this. Not even when Bertolt and Reiner kidnapped both Eren and Ymir and they told Eren the truth.

Or maybe it's that Bertolt never noticed it?

But now that Bertolt has accepted defeat and relaxed, he finally notices things he didn't before.

Like how fragile Eren looks, almost as if he's a second away from shattering. Like how Mikasa would've wrapped the scarf around Eren instead of having him clutch it, especially when his left hand looks to be healing from being cut. In fact, doesn't her red scarf look a bit like... like it had been drenched before by a liquid that dried a muddy brown color.

Muddy brown...?

Actually, now that Bertolt thinks about it, he burnt Armin. He fired everything he has to make sure that Armin would have a quick death. As someone who cannot heal, there's no way that Armin would've lived past that. And if Eren is now holding Mikasa's bloodied scarf then...

Then...

Bertolt shouldn't have congratulated Eren.

"I'm sorry."

Eren's eyes are smoldering. Bertolt feels his airway close up at the sight of it. How does this guy always manage to make Bertolt feel so inferior with a single look? Is this how Armin was able to hold on for so long against Bertolt's fires? Because he was used to facing against the heat of Eren's anger?

Then just as suddenly, Eren looks away, letting Bertolt have the air back. Did he realize that he was making Bertolt uncomfortable?

No. Eren isn't that kind of a thoughtful person.

"No, you're not. You're relieved."

See? Eren is too crude of a person to sugarcoat his words for the sake of others. Bertolt supposes a kinder person would've used the word "honest." But he honestly sees no reason to be kind to this brat of a child who promised a painful death for both Bertolt and Reiner.

"Still feel 'sorry' for me?"

To be honest, all Bertolt feels right now is fear. Eren radiates a feral kind of anger that threatens to rip Bertolt's throat out with his teeth.

This is the worst. Why the hell does it have to be Eren that Bertolt has to deal with right now?

An uneasy silence settles between them. Or maybe it's just Bertolt who finds this uneasy? Because being in Eren's presence always makes him uneasy. Not just because Eren promised to kill Bertolt and Reiner painfully, but also because Eren has always blamed the death of his mom on the Colossal Titan.

"What uh... What happened? A-after you defeated me, I mean," Bertolt asks in hopes of distracting Eren with something other than wanting to kill Bertolt.

Maybe he should have just sat in the uneasy silence. Because the anger in those green eyes are really making Bertolt uncomfortable.

Then with an angry sigh, Eren looks away.

Okay, lesson learned. Bertolt will keep his mouth shut and not bother Eren.

* * *

It happened about twenty minutes or so before Bertolt woke up.

The fight for the serum.

In one corner, the Commander of Survey Corps, Erwin Smith. Brought fresh from the battlefield on the other side of the wall by a determined soldier who isn't injured despite everyone else having been killed.

In the other corner, the brilliant Armin Arlert, whose strategies and quick thinking were the reason why they were able to outsmart two of the three titan shifters and why the Survey Corps was able to get this far against their unknown enemy.

Eren isn't an idiot. Between the two of them, he knows who must receive the serum. As a soldier in the military, his duty is to save his commander, personal feelings be damned. When Erwin announced to everyone about the existence of the serum and that Levi will choose who will receive it, everyone understood that as code for "Erwin will receive it."

But let's take a step back and compare strategies.

Of course, before all of this, Erwin's Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation dropped the casualty rate of the Survey Corps by 30%. But what about his strategies against the titan shifters? Erwin's decisions to fight against the Female Titan was two-fold. One, keep everyone in the dark about capturing her and sacrifice them as time comes. Two, sacrifice those within the inner walls to lure her out and using the destruction, force the Military Police to acknowledge the importance of the Survey Corps. What about when he rushed to save Eren from Bertolt and Reiner after Utgard Castle incident? He used every single person that came with him as fodder and bait to send bunch of mindless titans at the two traitors. And now, his strategy was to sacrifice every single soldier there with him, only for Levi to fail to kill the Beast Titan (but let's not talk about Levi's shortcomings right now).

Armin's thoughts have always gone first to reduce the number of casualties. When the canons were pointed at Eren and he was being questioned on whether he was a human or titan during the incident at Trost, Armin was able to eloquently come up with a reason why Eren should be saved without getting anyone shot at or killed. When Annie turned into the Female Titan before their eyes, Armin was able to calmly come to the decision of splitting up so that at least two of the three of them could make it out. And against the Colossal Titan, too. He was able to come up with a strategy to defeat that giant of a monster by sacrificing just himself.

Speaking purely of results achieved, isn't Armin's ability to keep the casualty rate down at his age more impressive and important to preserve?

But if looking at pure results and numbers is too "emotional" for Levi and Hange, then shall they look at their ages? Erwin has easily lived twice Armin's lifespan. Isn't it only right that the elderly make way for the younger generation?

What? Is that too harsh? But Hange and Levi are the ones who didn't want Eren to get emotional.

Or maybe they should just get emotional.

Floch did, too. He didn't bring Erwin here for the sake of military structure or rank or what have you. He did so because he wanted Erwin to walk through this hell once more. But how come that doesn't count as an "emotional" argument?

In fact, why don't Levi and Hange state their own emotional reasons why it should be Erwin? Come on. Let's hear it. They should have a whole bunch. Or are they going to just keep repeating Erwin's rank like that's all he'll ever be to them? Like that's the only thing they remember? Like that's the only thing they needed from him?

Do they seriously have nothing but his rank? His title?

Didn't they spend time together as the members of the Survey Corps? Didn't they survive countless trials together? Didn't they trust each other to have their backs when fighting against titans and humans both? Didn't they dedicate their hearts for the same goals?

What do you mean they can't get emotional for the one they united behind? What do you mean all they're going to talk about is how the Survey Corps will collapse without him (Hah. Erwin was an important part of the Survey Corps, but it won't collapse because one person is missing. And saying so is the same as spitting on every heart that has been dedicated to the cause of humanity's freedom)?

If that's all they have behind their reason, then why the hell should Eren accept it?

Why the hell does he have to watch his friend die?

*

The thing about the rooftops of Shiganshina is that no one has been here to make sure that the buildings are structurally sound. It's only too easy to grab a handful of rubble.

His aim doesn't have to be perfect.

If one of the rubble piece in his hand hits, that's his victory.

Levi experimentally holds the syringe up in the air, trying to get a feel for an item that isn't a blade in his hands. And isn't that funny? This same man was demanding for Eren to hand over all of his blades and gas just moments ago. This same man was more than willing to ignore Armin to chase after the Beast Titan.

But now that it's Erwin's life on the line, the Beast Titan suddenly doesn't matter, does it?

And yet Levi refuses to voice any reason aside from Erwin's rank.

Hypocrites.

They're all acting emotionally.

Eren's aim doesn't have to be perfect. But it hits perfectly.

The syringe shatters in Levi's hand, splattering the serum everywhere.

Eren reported it, of course. That Rod Reiss turned into that giant of a titan by licking the shattered serum off the ground. But let's see exactly how many people remember that. Sure, people pay attention when Eren takes action in case he betrays them. But do they recall his words?

Or is everything he says too "emotional" to be worth remembering?

Levi's eyes lock onto him in pure rage. Would you look at that?

Levi doesn't remember the report.

That's fine. Whatever. Eren isn't bitter. This works better for him anyways. He needs that serum that's on the box. Just forget Levi. Forget everything but getting the serum to Armin.

Before he ran, the Beast Titan called Levi a monster.

And it's not like Eren forgot. He was brought to Levi because, as Humanity's Strongest Soldier, Levi was the most likely person who would be able to kill Eren with the least amount of casualties. But it seems that spending so long by Levi's side has made him forget the sting of Levi's boots that day in the court room.

When Levi told Eren he needed blades and gas, he had two in his hands. One was broken short and the other was worn down from violent use. But just because a blade is worn from use doesn't mean it does not work. If you have enough muscle (enough desperation), you can still get it to cut.

The dull blade pierce through Eren's shoulder, pinning him to the roof below. He only screams due to the frustration of having his movements robbed from him.

Something comes down harshly against Eren's head, letting out an unpleasant cracking sound. That was his head, wasn't it, that made that noise? But what was it that came against-

Levi's boot rests heavily against Eren's cheek as his arm rests against the dull blade already in Eren. It hurts. It hurts. Eren's vision is starting to blur from the smoke of his titan healing. Is it prioritizing his head over his shoulder? That's probably a good thing. But he needs to get the serum. Where's the box? Levi's no longer holding it, right? So where did he drop it?

"Hey, you shitty brat. What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Killing intent is something Eren is intimately familiar with. But killing intent from this man before him is something new. Eren realizes with a sinking feeling that he has actually never faced it. Levi never came after him with the intent to kill before. That's right. Even from the beginning, hasn't Levi always tried to find ways to keep Eren alive?

Because Erwin told him. "Eren is Humanity's Last Hope."

So why is it that Levi has nothing to say to save Erwin's life aside from his rank? Eren doesn't understand.

Levi takes his boot off of Eren's face for a second. Just before Eren can relax, Levi's boot returns with a kick straight to Eren's nose. That crunch was most definitely Eren's nose. He feels a burst of iron in his mouth. Fuck. Fuck. That hurt. That hurt. If that kick had gone any further, wouldn't that have rattled Eren's brain? He can't afford to lose his consciousness. He needs to get the box. The serum evaporates if it's exposed to the air for too long. So he needs to hurry.

"Didn't you hear me, you brat?"

The world is spinning. He's choking on his blood while pinned to the roof. The box. He needs the-

Someone's screaming? He notices it because he's sure that he isn't screaming. Stop spinning, world. He needs to focus on finding this box. And can whoever screaming stop? It's really making his head pound.

"Mikasa, stop!"

... Mikasa?

Eren forces himself to look. He forces himself to pay attention.

Mikasa has drawn her blades again. She struggles against Hange's hold until finally, she stabs Hange's leg to free herself. And then she rushes forth.

No. Stop.

She shouldn't fight against Levi. It's fine. Eren can heal. This is fine. So don't do it, Mikasa. Don't waste your time with dumb things like that. If you can move, grab that box. Grab it and get it to Armin. Every second is precious. Damn it. Why the hell couldn't Mikasa remember Eren's report? Why can't she just understand what he means, he wants? Why does she always, always disregard his feelings for her stupid need to be an alpha dog?

He faintly feels something warm against him. When he looks, Levi has taken one of his blades to face against Mikasa.

They jokingly talked about it in the past.

What would happen if Mikasa and Levi were to face against each other?

"Obviously, Captain Levi would win. He has more experience," Eren reasoned.

Jean shook his head and scolded Eren for being unimaginative. "But he's old! Mikasa would definitely wipe the floor with him!"

"Well, this situation won't happen since we're all on the same side," Armin pointed out with a laugh.

Same side, huh?

They've been fighting against people who can turn into titans. Both Mikasa and Levi have done nothing but gone after vital areas that would normally kill anyone but those shifters. So it makes perfect sense that the two of them were going for kill-shots.

No.

No matter how Eren turns it in his head, it doesn't make sense. Kill shots? Why? Why the hell are they trying to kill each other? Why did Levi grab Eren's brand new blades? Why did Mikasa rush at Levi with hers?

Why the hell couldn't any one of them remember Eren's report and figure out what he was trying to do?

Why is trying to save a single person so unnecessarily complicated?

Why does all of Eren's plans always fall apart like this?

Levi's blade parries Mikasa's with minimal effort. The he thrusts it forward. The blade embeds through the red scarf into...

Into?

No.

No. No. No.

This isn't happening. This can't be happening. This-

"Shit," Levi hisses.

That's the red of Mikasa's scarf. Yeah. That's what it is. That's the red of Mikasa's scarf. It cannot be anything more. The red is just Mikasa's scarf. It's not liquid that's pooling where she collapsed. It cannot be. It's the red fabric. The red fabric frames her so that it looks like that. It's nothing else. It's the fabric. It's the... Oh no. No, no, no. It can't be anything more. Damn it. Damn it. It's her scarf. It's her scarf.

Eren reaches for Mikasa. He feels the blade in his shoulder cut deeply into him from the movement alone, but he can't. He can't.

He can't lose Mikasa as well.

They only have Bertolt. The serum is evaporating as they speak. Eren can't choose between Mikasa and Armin. Fine. Fine. He'll give his own life up. That will keep them alive, right? Keep them both alive? He can-

Levi stomps on Eren's outstretched hand.

"You have a way, right? You know what's in that serum. That's why you shattered it. Because you have another plan. Tell me now!"

But that's just it. Eren doesn't know. He shattered that because he had a plan. But with every second, that plan is evaporating into the thin air. And if Levi would please just fucking remember Eren's report, he would realize what's going on!

He hears the crack of his pinky finger. Slowly, he looks at Levi's boot that is grinding down against his broken finger.

Then the pain registers.

His scream rips from his throat as the burning pain shoots up his arm. Levi lifts his boot just a bit, giving the smallest of relief.

"Tell me, you shitty brat. What's in the serum?"

Eren shakes his head. He doesn't know. He doesn't know. He doesn't-

But that's not how Levi takes it.

Levi breaks Eren's ring finger next. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. But you can get desensitized to constant feelings. As long as all Levi does is break fingers, Eren will soon get used to it. Pain or not, this is nothing. This is nothing. This is nothing.

It has to be nothing.

Eren will make it nothing.

"Still not going to talk?" Levi sounds grudgingly impressed.

Eren's middle finger joins the rest of broken fingers. Is this hot liquid rolling down his face his tears or blood from Levi's initial hit? It hurts. He thinks he might be screaming. He can't tell.

"Two left on this hand," Levi says. "Once the fingers are gone, shall we go for your toes? Or would you rather I wait until you heal before I start again?"

"Levi, stop! Just... that's enough. Stop."

"Why should I, shitty glasses? This brat knew what he was doing. Childish fit or not, he's going to learn what happens when you play with people's lives."

That's right. Keep him talking, Hange. Meanwhile, Eren will redouble his efforts to look for that box. It has to be around here. It couldn't have gotten that far. He needs it. Even just a drop is fine. He has two people he needs to save.

"Because they're dead."

... Huh?

Eren slowly turns his attention towards where Hange is currently looking over both Erwin and Armin. Her expression is grim.

"So both of you, that's enough. Don't add any more to the casualty count."

What... is she talking about? Huh? Wait. Wait. It's not registering. What did she say?

Armin is...?

Erwin is...?

T-then what was the point?

Why did Mikasa get stabbed for?

Why did Eren endure Levi breaking his fingers for?

No, no, no.

Hange is mistaken. She has to be. She doesn't know what she's talking about. There's no way that can be true. Because if it is, then didn't Eren sentence all three of them to death when it should've been just one person that died?

The laughter that falls from his lips is bitter. Ah, of course. Of course, this is how it turns out. Why did Eren ever think otherwise?

"Serves you right."

That's right, you goddamned idiot. Serves you fucking right. That's what you get for being selfish. Why don't you ever learn? Why the hell did you risk everyone's lives for your own selfish greed?

Levi looms over him, expression twisted into anger and... And? What's that expression? Eren can't read it.

He sees the boot come down, but he can't stop it.

It hurts. It hurts. Not just physically, but his heart. Mikasa and Armin are both... both...

All because he wanted to selfishly save his friend. He ended up losing both of them. He...

"Eren, hand over the basement key," Hange says, her eyes cold as she regards him.

Why is it that at this point in time, all Eren hears in his head is Bertolt's plea to the remaining members of the 104th Cadets?

*

They send Floch back to the inner walls to deliver the report of what happened and to request for aid. Jean and Connie are sent to bury Mikasa.

Eren thought they'd ask him where his home is so they can bury her there, but they don't.

They leave him on top of the wall with an unconscious Sasha and Bertolt.

At first, he can't quite figure out why. Why are they trusting him alone up here? With Bertolt and their one injured? After all that's happened, are they really okay with giving him this?

Then it occurs to him that that's not it at all.

It's not that he's being trusted.

It's just that they can't believe he would be able to do anything more after his utter failure.

And you know what?

They're right.

They're fucking right.

His vertical maneuvering equipment still has nearly full tank of gas. He still has nearly all of his blades (minus one that Levi took and never returned). They didn't bother taking them from him. That's how certain they are that he won't do anything on his own.

Isn't it funny? They made sure to take the basement key from him, but they could care less when it comes to gear that he can use to run. All because they know that he won't run.

Ah, maybe it's more that they don't care if he goes?

It's not like it matters anymore.

They have the basement key. They don't need Eren.

Did anyone ever need him? Or did he convince himself of his own self-importance just because he could shift into a titan and just because Shadis once upon a time had a crush on his mom?

Why had he been so sure of anything?

Maybe there isn't an ocean. Maybe that book that Armin had was a collection of some random person's fantasy. Maybe there was nothing but titans to begin with.

Maybe they were all stupid for ever having hope.

*

"What uh... What happened? A-after you defeated me, I mean," Bertolt asks.

The flash of anger Eren feels isn't aimed at Bertolt. But Bertolt shrinks back anyways. What an odd feeling. Is Eren really that scary? Even though he's a beast that has lost all his fangs?

"Armin... I wanted to feed you to him," Eren manages out.

Bertolt stills. Then he glances around before his eyes settle on Mikasa's red scarf in Eren's hand. He doesn't say anything. But the look on his face makes Eren want to punch him.

"Hey Bertolt, do you know what it is? The serum that can turn people into titans?"

For a second, Bertolt looks like he won't answer. But then he must have come to the conclusion that he should be as cooperative as he can. Because he nods.

"It's our spinal fluid."

"'Our...?'" Eren echoes.

"Yes. Titan shifters. When you extract our spinal fluid and inject it, the person with the injection becomes a mindless titan. We call them 'pure titans.'"

Spinal Fluid...? Then...

Eren could have done it.

He could have saved Armin and Mikasa. He didn't have to shatter the syringe in Levi's hand. All he had to do was take out his spinal fluid with said syringe. Then they could have had both Armin and Erwin be mindless titans... Sorry, "pure" titans and Mikasa wouldn't have died. Ymir said it. That as a pure titan, you could live for a long period of time. Then as pure titans, the two of them could have lived until they hunted down Reiner.

There was another method.

Slowly, Eren covers his face with his arm. He forces himself to take a deep breath.

Damn it. Damn it. There was a way. There was always a way. But he was impatient. He was stupid. He was confident when he didn't have any of the important information.

"E-Eren?" Bertolt asks nervous.

If Eren Jaeger did not exist, this would never have happened.

Armin would be fine. Mikasa would be safe. Erwin would still be leading the Survey Corps. Hell, there would still be a Survey Corps.

He can't stop the tears from falling. He can't stop the pathetic sobs from leaving his mouth.

His only comfort is that there's no one important around to witness his weakness.

* * *

Armin is dead.

Even without verbal confirmation, Bertolt can arrive on that conclusion due to Eren's reaction. From the way that Eren is holding that scarf, Mikasa is, too.

After triumphing over the almighty Colossal Titan that Eren hated so much, he ended up losing both Mikasa and Armin in the process. He got his revenge. And in return, the price was the two most precious people closest to his heart.

How terrible of Bertolt to find it so damned funny!

But it is! It so totally is!

Hey Eren, was it worth it? Did the revenge that he's been screaming about since they were cadets bring him peace? Did defeating Reiner and Bertolt bring him closer to that ideal that he was chasing? Did returning home and physically taking it back from the Colossal give him closure? Was all of that worth losing Mikasa and Armin?

Eren had screamed at Bertolt and Reiner for being murderers like he was the only victim in the world. Now that he defeated the two of them, did the world shift to his liking? Did the dead magically come back to life? Did everything suddenly become better, Eren?

And while he and the Survey Corps are celebrating bringing down the Colossal and Armored, Marley on the other side of the ocean must be getting ready for their next counter attack. The best of their Warriors Division was crushed. What will Marley bring to Paradis next? What kind of terror would descend on these clueless devils thanks to Eren's childish refusal to come with Bertolt and Reiner?

That possible future and all of this could have been prevented, Eren. Does he realize that?

No, of course not.

Eren right now is too busy feeling sorry for himself.

It's so damned funny that Bertolt can't help but to grimace.

It's so damned funny that Bertolt can't help but to look away.

It's so damned funny that Bertolt can't help but to pity Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the sound of a bone-chilling scream that stops the three of them from bolting for the walls to leave this accursed lands.
> 
> "What was that?" Zeke asks. "I-is that Bertolt?"
> 
> Reiner cocks his head to the side as a second scream shakes the air. Then he shakes his head.
> 
> "Not Bertolt," he says. "I think it's... Eren."
> 
> Zeke's breath gets caught in his throat. He feels like he'll choke on this feeling of guilt that refuses to settle.
> 
> "It's that Levi guy," Pieck reports. "He's... attacking his own?"
> 
> He follows Pieck's line of sight and faintly makes out what he assumes are the gathered remains of Paradis forces on top of a rooftop. But he can't tell more than that. There's no reason for Pieck to lie, so he decides to take her words as the truth.
> 
> What he can't understand is why.
> 
> Everyone in Paradis should doubtlessly understand how important Eren is. So why would that monster hurt Eren? Is it for shits and giggles? Since Eren can heal, he's taking his frustration of all the lives lost on Eren? Or is it because... Zeke talked to Eren? Did that guy even hear that? No, the timing doesn't seem to match up. At the very least, he doesn't need to shoulder that as his own fault.
> 
> "It could be a trap," Pieck reasons.
> 
> A third scream fills the air.
> 
> This kind of screaming isn't something you can fake. It's something pure, something raw, that can only be drawn out in immense pain. Pieck should understand, since they've all been through torture training at the hands of the Public Security Authorities.
> 
> "If Levi is making Eren scream like that in order to lure us back, then I'm afraid he is a much clever and far crueler man than I," Zeke admits. "I cannot turn away as if I didn't hear anything."
> 
> "Sir, it's just the three of us, and both of you are still healing. We cannot perform a rescue operation right now," Pieck says.
> 
> Zeke nods in agreement. "Not right now, no. But once we've rested somewhat, we'll have a chance. But the meat of this would depend on whether or not Eren would willingly come with us."
> 
> "He won't listen," Reiner says.
> 
> Yes, that's what Zeke feared. They honestly don't have enough time to try and convince Eren to come with them. Not if that damned Levi comes after them with fresh blades. If that's how things are, then Zeke just has one thing left to do.
> 
> "Leave the convincing to me," he says.
> 
> He'll talk to Eren in Paths.
> 
> Then they'll be able to have all the time in the world to talk about anything they want.
> 
> Talk to his little brother...
> 
> Zeke can't quite tell if this is excitement or apprehension he feels at the pit of his stomach. At the very least, he'll have all the time in the world. But he wants to make a good impression. How should he go about explaining to Eren about the horrors their father must have put him through?
> 
> How should he reach out to Eren to let him know that Zeke is on his side?


	3. Deflate, the mystery of living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking back on it, maybe it was only natural that Bertolt became a Warrior.
> 
> He does the same thing he does at the Warriors Division as he did at home: Obey orders given to him and deliver satisfactory results. For the Warriors Division, this meant bring home victories. For his parents, it meant making his Marleyan superiors happy.
> 
> Perhaps that's why he found Reiner's presence so comforting. They are the same. In the division and at home, they both exist to be the best possible tool for Marley to use. Sure, for Reiner that was due to a selfish reason of wanting to be a hero. But he had a reason that was his own.
> 
> Bertolt was just following his parents' orders.
> 
> That's probably why he found Annie to be so fascinating.
> 
> She never cared about the division or following orders. She stood apart from everyone else and kept her proud eyes facing away from Marley's goals. Now it should be noted that she did follow orders. But it never felt like it was because she wanted to please their superiors. It was more that the order happened to line up with what she felt like doing at the time.
> 
> What was it like to have that kind of freedom? What was it like to fight for oneself?
> 
> He never got to ask her.
> 
> By the time they were away from prying eyes, Reiner choked that out of her. And they had no choice but to follow Reiner's lead through the island of devils. Bertolt, because that was all he knew how to do, and Annie, because she no longer had the will to stand on her own.
> 
> That flickered back a bit during their cadet days. But Eren didn't understand what it meant that Annie started to smile again.
> 
> Eren didn't understand what it meant that Reiner looked to him so fondly.
> 
> Eren didn't understand why Reiner chose that moment, after witnessing Historia accept Ymir so whole-heartedly, to confess their sins.
> 
> Of everyone they met, why did the Founding Titan have to be someone as unforgiving as Eren?

"How's... Annie doing?"

The question catches Eren off-guard. He didn't think that Bertolt would try to keep talking. Bertolt has always dodged him during their cadet days, so Eren figured that would continue. Or perhaps it's different when it's a question about Annie? Armin did mention that Bertolt liked Annie, which is weird, because Eren doesn't recall anything like that during their three years together. Or maybe that's just how distant Bertolt and he always were?

Eren wipes his tears one last time and takes a deep breath.

"I don't know," he answers. "When we captured her, she encased herself in the titan-hardening crystal. We couldn't break it open, no matter what we tried. And she doesn't respond to anything we say or do. Hange said she's probably alive in there, but we haven't been able to prove it."

Bertolt nods slowly. "I'm shocked you didn't just order her to come out."

The hell is that supposed to mean?

"Yes, I'm sure if I ask her politely, Annie will walk out of the crystal and do a cartwheel," Eren growls.

"I mean order her using the Coordinate. You did it before, remember? You sent a hoard of pure titans on Reiner and me."

Oh. That. So it has a name aside from "Founding Titan?"

"I can't use it."

Bertolt stares at him for a second longer before letting it go.

"The only other thing I can think of to do would be to use the Jaw Titan," he says.

Why is Bertolt being so helpful all of a sudden? Is it because he feels that this is the only way to appeal to the Survey Corps? If so, then he's aiming this at the wrong person. Even if Eren were to advocate for Bertolt, he doubts anyone would listen. He felt that rather acutely when he failed to save Armin. He's just a decorative piece, you see. No one listens to him.

"Then again, I suppose Ymir won't be able to help, since she chose to leave..." Bertolt sighs. "Sorry. I can't think of anything else."

"If you're saying all of this in hopes that I put in good word for you, you should save your breath. I'm no longer Humanity's Last Hope."

To get his point across, Eren shows his bare neck where the necklace of his dad's basement key is missing. It'll be better for Bertolt to say those things to Hange or Levi. They actually have the power to do something about his position. Not Eren.

"I'm sure if you cooperate like this, they'll go along with whatever you ask for. After all, I imagine they don't want the Colossal Titan to be angry at them," Eren continues, laughing at the thought.

He meant it to be funny, but Bertolt isn't laughing. In fact, that's a rather serious expression on Bertolt's face.

"You too. If you were to get angry, you can potentially set multiple colossal titan-sized pure titans on them."

... Huh? What's he talking about?

"The titans in the walls," Bertolt clarifies, "you can command them."

What part of Eren can't use that power did this guy not understand? Turns out it's not just the Survey Corps that doesn't listen to what Eren says.

"I actually can't," Eren tells him.

"You can."

Eren shakes his head firmly. "No, I can't. Only those of the royal family can use that power. But my dad stole it from them and gave it to me. So no, I can't use that power."

"But you did use it," Bertolt points out.

"It was a fluke. Drop it."

Bertolt nods and leaves it at that, much to Eren's relief.

Things are silent for a beat before Bertolt quietly says, "W-what happens to you now? If you're not 'Humanity's Last Hope' anymore, then what are you?"

What's it to him? Since when did Bertolt care what happened to Eren?

"An annoyance they'll get rid of," Eren mumbles.

Bertolt continues to stare at Eren, waiting for an answer. Eren liked this guy better when he had trouble talking to people. Why does it even matter what happens to Eren anyways? Shouldn't Bertolt be more worried about himself?

"You'll tell them what the serum is. They'll extract mine or your spinal fluid. Then they'll pick someone who follows orders really well to give this power to. Or maybe they'll give it to Historia after finding a good way to control her so that they can use the... Coordinate, was it?"

"Aside from Historia, is there anyone with royal blood left to transfer that power to?" Bertolt asks.

"No. Everyone's dead."

"Then they won't give it to Historia until she's had a few kids. It would be bad if the royal line ends. We only have 13 years to live, after all."

... Huh?

Bertolt must have realized that Eren didn't know about that when he sees the shock on Eren's face. But Eren's too busy digesting this information.

13 years to live once you inherit a titan? So that means... Despite having a time limit, he outlived both Mikasa and Armin? And if he had gotten his wish and given the serum to Armin, it would have bought his friend 13 more years?

Did his dad know about this time limit? The math checks out. The time Instructor Shadis found Grisha outside the walls to when Grisha passed the titan to Eren should have been about thirteen years. Having ran out of time, he had no choice but to leave the titan with Eren, is that it? But why? What was his dad trying to accomplish?

"What happens when you don't give your titan power after your 13 years are up?" Eren asks.

"A random baby is born with it."

"The hell's up with that kind of a screwed up system? Who came up with this?"

Bertolt's lips twitch. Hah. What a thought. That's probably the closest that Eren has ever gotten to make Bertolt smile. Probably because of the guilt of realizing that he killed Eren's mom, Bertolt was always so guarded around Eren. But now that their dirty laundries have been aired (now that they're both slated for an uncertain future), Bertolt is a more agreeable guy than Eren recalls.

"Maybe we should run away," Eren sniggers. "We have 13 years, right? And when that time ends, some random saps will be born with these powers, but we'll be able to live however we feel like it."

"There's not exactly many places we can go. Over this wall is who knows how many pure titans, waiting to eat us to become human again. And beyond the ocean is the rest of the world that wants us dead," Bertolt sighs.

... Come again?

"No, no. Staying here is best. At least we can occasionally eat meat."

"Bertolt, w-wait... W-what did you say...?" Eren asks.

"Huh? Oh, they give us meat within the walls. I mean, it's rare, but it's more than what we normally get in-"

"Not that," Eren snaps. "You... You said... the o-ocean?"

"O-oh! Right! You probably don't know what that is. It's a large body of water. It's so vast that it makes the largest lake within the walls look like a puddle. You have to cross it to get to my hometown."

The book that Armin had of the outside world was a forbidden book. So the three of them always made sure to not talk about the contents of it if they weren't somewhere private. Since their discussion of the ocean when they were young, they didn't really talk about it until Armin brought it up again few nights ago. So if Bertolt is bringing it up right now, independent of Eren mentioning it first then...

Then...

"It exists?" Eren asks, his voice barely above a hushed whisper.

"Hm? The ocean, you mean? Yeah. It exists. It sounds pretty fantastical, though, right?"

Bertolt laughs, completely oblivious to Eren's thoughts.

It exists.

The ocean...

Eren slowly breaths in and holds it for a second. When he releases it, it's with his mind made up.

"Hey Bertolt, do you still want to go back to your hometown?"

* * *

Damn it. He can't focus at all.

Levi sighs and rubs the back of his neck. To think it'd bother him this much... He's going soft, isn't he?

Eren was in the wrong.

There's no one who witnessed what happened (as well as those who would hear the reports) who would even consider disagreeing with this statement. Eren was in the wrong. Of course, he was. Because of his childish and petty actions, they lost two more soldiers than they had to.

But the one who encouraged Eren to make his own decision, even if it went against orders, was Levi. Levi was the one who told Eren to think for himself. Levi was the one who backed Eren for taking action he believed was right. If he wanted Eren to be someone who unquestioningly followed orders, then that's what he should have beaten into Eren from the start.

But he didn't do that.

He allowed Eren the freedom to stand for himself.

The people of the Underground used to speak of that. You have to be careful in how you raise your pup. Even if you shower it with love and raise it in fondness, it can still grow up to bite your hand because it lacked discipline.

Therefore, the reason why Eren lashed out like that must be because Levi did not educate him properly. Yes, you should take your own actions according to your beliefs, but not if it goes against the greater goal.

"I'm going to return the key to him," Levi decides.

Hange glances at him with a raised brow. "Are you that tired of looking for his house? I'm telling you, as soon as we find the family registry, we'll be able to locate it no time. We just need to go through some documents. And if the ones here are burned up, there should be another copy back in the archives in Sina. I told Floch to bring it, so it's only a matter of time."

"It's not that." Levi pauses to collect his thoughts. "I was in the wrong to react so violently. At the very least, I believe he deserves to hear an apology from me."

"Even if Eren tells us what the serum is made of now, it's too late to save Erwin. You know that, right?" Hange asks.

"Of course, I know that."

Levi ignores the accusing look Hange shoots him.

* * *

"I..."

Bertolt gulps. He's having trouble finishing the rest of his sentence. It's not going to be whatever it is that Eren is imagining. That hometown they go to won't be any better than whatever fate is waiting for them here (More so for Eren than Bertolt, but it's not like Bertolt is 100% certain about that). It's...

Either way, it's going to be hell.

"You said your hometown is on the other side of the ocean, right? So take me there. C'mon, let's go right now."

Since Bertolt mentioned the ocean, it's like a switch has flipped. Eren looked so defeated just a moment ago. Did the thought of a large body of water excite him this much? Or is it the mention of Bertolt's hometown? He doesn't think Reiner ever talked much of it to Eren, but maybe Reiner let something slip? Is that why Eren is suddenly so gearing up to go? But if that was the case, then why didn't Eren agree to go with them the first time around? Was it because Reiner dropped the bomb of being the Armored at the same time?

There's too many questions for Bertolt to properly come to a conclusion.

"W-wait, Eren. What's the hurry? Why do you want to go there?"

"You want to go there, don't you?" Eren says. "I'm saying I'll go with you. To your hometown."

That's not fair, Eren. He couldn't have come to this conclusion before on that tree? He couldn't have decided on this before he lopped off Bertolt's arms and legs? And now that it's convenient for him, he's going to selfishly demand something so impossible?

"I can't move, Eren," Bertolt finally manages to choke out.

"I'll carry you," Eren says.

He tucks away Mikasa's red scarf away. Then he holds his hands out to Bertolt as if Bertolt can even accept such help. He doesn't have limbs. Did Eren forget that? Hell, if Eren wants to, he can just carry Bertolt and leave, Bertolt willing or not. So in that sense, Bertolt supposes he's grateful that Eren is for once asking how he feels about this situation. But wait, no. That's not the point. Bertolt's getting distracted by common courtesy because that's not the norm from Eren.

"I don't know the way, so you need to direct me. But that's what you need, right? For me to go to your hometown? So let's go together," Eren says.

"And if I don't want to go back?"

Oh. Bertolt didn't think he'd be able to voice it. How he has been feeling for the past few weeks. When it was just Reiner and him, he missed home so much that he felt like he might become physically ill. But when they ran into Zeke, he remembered what going home meant. The strict rules that Marleyans imposed on them. Killing for the sake of Marley. Because if they don't, it's their family in danger. The constant pressure from his family to be even a fraction better of a tool for Marley.

That's right.

He doesn't want to return. When did he ever convince himself otherwise? Or did he assume he wanted to go back because that's what both Annie and Reiner seemed to want? Follow the orders of those around him as he has always done.

Eren stares at Bertolt, clearly confused. He tilts his head to the side as if trying to piece what Bertolt is saying.

"Don't want...? Didn't you do all of this in order to go back home? All the people you killed, everyone you betrayed, wasn't all of that to go back? Isn't that why you, Reiner, and Annie came after me? Because that's your goal?"

"But... going back home alone is... scary," Bertolt manages out.

Because then he'll have to bear the brunt of the failure of the mission by himself. It won't just be Marley coming after him and his family, it will also be the families of all those that have fallen. Bertolt would rather die on this island than to face that.

Eren freezes at those words as Bertolt has hoped he would. Now that their situation is so similar, how will Eren respond? By throwing Bertolt's feelings to the side and ignoring it for his own selfish purposes as he has always done? Or...

"I can't help you about Annie. But Reiner isn't dead. The quadrupedal titan grabbed him and the Beast Titan. They all ran off before any of us could finish them. Since they're shifters, they'll be fine."

... They're alive?

Then Bertolt won't be alone in facing the failure for this mission. And... if Eren is there with them then...

Then it won't be a failure.

The five years they spent on this year would be worth it.

They lost Marcel and Annie, but in return, they brought the Founding Titan.

It won't be a failure.

"Eren, my hometown is on the other side of the ocean. Even if you run like hell, if those guys leave across the ocean, we will be stranded here."

"Then we better get going."

What a strange feeling.

Reiner once said that partnering up with Eren for drills was relaxing. Despite seemingly being impulsive and hot-headed, Eren was goal-oriented. As long as he had a goal and plan in mind, he jumped to follow through. The only thing Reiner said he had to do was make sure that Eren took breaks. Otherwise, Eren would run himself ragged until he physically couldn't keep going. But aside from that, Eren was a reliable partner to have.

Bertolt personally found babysitting to be tiring (not to mention unreliable), so he opted against partnering with Eren in their three years together... No. That's not it.

Eren makes him uncomfortable.

Bertolt can't quite put his finger on it. Both Reiner and Annie seemed to trust Eren and get along with him just fine. Maybe it's that? Maybe it's the fact that Eren so easily blamed his mother's death all on Bertolt? Maybe it's something else that Bertolt is too much of an idiot to figure out right now? Whatever the case, Eren is an existence that makes Bertolt uncomfortable and uneasy.

Eren Jaeger is not someone Bertolt can ever trust.

"I'm still healing. On top of that, the Colossal Titan is slow and would give away our location to the Survey Corps. I'm going to be nothing but a dead weight," Bertolt warns him.

Eren's grin has a bite of feralness. It's not at all charming, but Bertolt finds himself trusting it. And isn't that a riot? He's trusting the one person who swore to kill him as painfully as humanly possible.

"You always were, remember?"

Ah, fuck.

How far is Bertolt gone to think that Eren of all people is reliable?

*

"There's some rope here," Eren says with a lopsided grin. "Shall I tie you to my back like you did me?"

Perhaps Eren's plan this entire time was to get back at Bertolt? Knowing Eren as well as he does, Bertolt won't put it past him. But if this means that they can go home with the Founding Titan, then Bertolt will swallow his annoyance.

"Oh, and where are you two planning on going?" asks an unamused voice.

It seems they had a lot less of a time than they first realized. Because Levi has a blade drawn as he comes towards them.

Bertolt turns to look for someone who can give him an order. And hah. Look at him pretending like he ever grew up, like he was ever reliable, when he's already looking for an easy way out the minute things go wrong. Where's his resolve now? Where's that confidence he had during his fight against Armin? What's the point of being told that he's reliable by Reiner if he relapses immediately once the fight is over?

"What are you waiting for? Set it ablaze!" Eren snaps.

It has to be the influence of the Founding Titan, right?

But once Eren gives that command, it becomes thousand times easier.

* * *

"I don't think what Eren did was right," Jean says.

Connie glances up from digging graves for the rest of the deceased for a second before returning back to his work. Aside from Commander Erwin, the rest of the dead will be buried here in Shiganshina because that's easier than trying to get all the body parts back to the inner walls to the grieving families.

"No one's disagreeing with you there."

"But I think it was wrong of Captain Levi to... to react like that."

Jean can't seem to bring himself to say more than that. But Connie understands regardless. They're all still shocked about the events that transpired.

"I... know it's probably going to come off as selfish, but I want to try and convince the Captain to return Eren's key to him."

Connie nods and puts down the shovel. "Alright. Let's go."

"A-are you sure? We... might be punished for being out of line. It's possible that Captain Levi might... get violent with us, too," Jean says.

Connie hates the look of hesitation on Jean's face. He doesn't understand why a beating is scaring Jean when they just spent the past four months fighting titans and betrayals from fellow comrades in arms.

"Jean, we fired our thunder spears at Reiner with the intent to kill him. Bertolt is up there with his limbs missing, next to Sasha who still hasn't woken up. W-we lost... M-Mikasa and Armin. And that's not counting all the other 104th Southern Division cadets that gave their lives up due to circumstances outside of our control. But Eren isn't dead. We can still reach him and talk about why he broke the syringe. Let's not let any more of our own perish."

It looks like those are the words that Jean needed to hear. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Yeah. Let's go talk to the Captain. And afterwards, let's comfort Eren. We may not be Mikasa or Armin, but damn it, we're still comrades."

*

Hange looks at the two of them with a cold look for a second longer. Then she lets the expression break with a dramatic sigh.

"I mean, I don't mind either way. But you guys are a bit late, you know? Levi already left with the necklace to talk to Eren."

... Huh?

Connie looks to Jean, who looks just as astonished. It's possible? To talk things out?

If it was, then why didn't they? Why did everyone rush forward with their blades? With Bertolt, it couldn't be helped. Because Armin tried and couldn't arrive on anything.

But what about when Levi stabbed Eren? What about when Mikasa waved her blade around? What about when Eren threw that rock and shattered the syringe?

Couldn't they have talked then, too?

"Well, why don't we go and join them? You guys look like you won't go back to work until we do this."

The two blush in embarrassment, but Hange laughs it off.

"I'm sure Floch will return soon with reinforcements. So hang in there until then."

*

"Hey... isn't that... Bertolt's...?"

The three of them stare up at the top of the wall, where Bertolt, Eren, and Sasha are. It seems that they've made a rather grave mistake in believing that Bertolt was done fighting.

The fires of the Colossal Titan can be felt even from the ground. Just how hot is that guy burning up there? Does he plan on burning even Eren to a crisp? But unlike Eren who can heal, Sasha is...

"S-Sasha's up there!" Connie exclaims. "Sasha can't defend herself!"

Hange nods grimly. "Let's go!"

* * *

Once upon a time, Reiner and Eren were partnered up for a training exercise through the mountains.

"You know, I'm always so nervous for Bertolt," Reiner admitted while they were taking a short break. "That guy never takes the initiative. Whenever something happens, he always looks around first for an order or someone else to follow. Is he going to be alright like that?"

When Eren first heard those words, he thought of Mikasa and his own worries about her. They ended up chatting a bit more than they should during that break and ended up returning late. But he felt much better after talking about it with Reiner.

"It's a good thing they're soldiers. They can just follow orders as given," had been Eren's light words at the time.

Reiner had an expression on his face that Eren couldn't quite place. Then he laughed, a sound not quite joy but not quite sadness either. Reiner ruffled Eren's hair like one would for a child. When Eren finally got him to stop, Reiner gave him a grin that looked much more natural.

"It's a great thing, indeed," he said.

As it turns out, it is indeed a great thing.

If Bertolt had moved without order to create a partial titan, Eren would have just enough time to fire his anchors at the wall to hold his place. But because Eren had been the one to give the order, Bertolt hesitated for just a bit.

That hesitation gave Eren enough time to grab Sasha before she was flung off the wall along with Levi. Levi is a monster, though. He can survive something as simple as this. But Sasha? She's unconscious right now. And she still has a long life ahead of her and lots of food to eat.

Like hell Eren will let her life end like that.

"Bertolt! We're good!" Eren yells out.

Is it because Bertolt is tired that the steam from his titan isn't as hot as it can go? Or is it because Bertolt is being considerate of Eren and Sasha? Whatever the case, Eren is grateful. Levi doesn't have a vertical maneuvering equipment, so he'll have to come up with something creative to stop his fall (probably stab the wall with his blade in his hand). But that gives Eren plenty of time to get out of here.

He waits to make sure that the wind has died down before releasing Sasha.

"Sorry about all of this," he tells her. "Take care of everyone, okay?"

Then he turns towards Bertolt.

*

It reminds him a bit of the half-titan he created once upon a time to protect his friends from the oncoming canons. The Colossal Titan Bertolt created has about that much structure, even though it's missing arms and most of its torso. Bertolt is in the middle of it all, waiting for Eren.

"The ropes flew out of my hands. So I'm going to carry you," Eren warns him.

"Got it."

The good news is that it's not as awkward to carry Bertolt as he feared. He supposes training to carry twice their body weight would do that. As long as he doesn't lose his grip, he shouldn't drop Bertolt somewhere and get lost.

It's for the ocean.

He jumps over the side of the wall. It'll be best to absorb the impact of this fall by transforming as he's about to hit the ground. That way, he won't have to wait to recover once he's in titan form and he can just take off running. He has to time this right. Prepare himself. There's only one chance for this.

"Eren! Watch-"

Whatever else Bertolt said gets lost.

The world disappears.

*

Eren is acutely aware of how damp it suddenly is. There's a stark stench of something that makes his stomach churn. To say that it's unpleasant is an understatement. And what's this slimly thing that's... Huh? Is it pinning him down? No. No, no, no. He knows what this is. This is the mouth of a titan. When the hell did he get eaten?! And by what? There wasn't any titans near the walls, not to mention he was near the top. So what-

"Calm down, Eren. This is Pieck," Bertolt says.

Like hell he can calm down! Eren doesn't know what a "Pieck" is, but he sure as hell knows that being eaten by a titan is not a situation you can be calm in.

Eren draws forth his blade. "Sorry in advance if I stab you," he tells Bertolt.

Then with as much strength as he can muster, he drives the blade upwards. He knows he made an impact because the titan shudders. But there's no sign of it letting them go. Fine. That's how this titan wants to do this?

Eren tugs the blade downwards, freeing it from the titan. Then he stabs upwards at a different spot. Again and again, he stabs the titan. With each stab, the titan shudders and struggles. Until finally, finally...

The titan spits Eren and Bertolt out onto the top of the wall. He coughs and splutters, trying to take in as much of the normal air as he can. Ugh. It was so foul in there. But he can't afford to be distracted. He puts his right hand on Bertolt to make sure that he's okay. All the while, he keeps his gaze locked on the titan before him while he grips his blade.

It's the quadrupedal titan he saw vaguely when the Beast Titan tried to talk to him. Right now, its long mouth is covered in steam as it tries to heal the countless stab wounds Eren gave it. It shouldn't put foreign substances in its mouth if it wasn't prepared for a fight.

"Eren, please trust me. Come with us," the Beast Titan says, holding his hand out for Eren to take.

Only his right hand is healed, Eren notes. The rest of him is still covered in smoke. Did he prioritize healing his hand first? Why? To offer it to Eren to take like this? Does he think he's some sort of a saint, offering his hand after using that very same hand to annihilate Eren's comrades?

It looks like Reiner is in the cart on the back of the quadrupedal titan. There's awful lot of steam covering him, so Eren can't really tell how he's doing. But he assumes that Reiner is tied down so that he won't fly off when they move. The Beast Titan is offering his hand while in the cart. Eren assumes that he's tied for the most part, too.

The question is what he should do about this situation before him.

"E-Eren, this is perfect. Let's go with them. You wanted to go to my hometown. This is the best way," Bertolt says.

Right. Bertolt's on their side. Right. Eren and Bertolt were hurrying so that these guys won't leave across the ocean without them. Right.

In theory, it makes sense to accept the hand before him. In theory, he should just be thankful that his cards lined up. This is more or less what Eren has been aiming for when he decided to team up with Bertolt. But now that the situation has presented itself in front of Eren in such a convenient manner, he finds himself hesitating without understanding why.

"I know it's scary," the Beast Titan says. He gives Eren a soft smile of encouragement that reminds Eren so much of Grisha. "But I promise you, I will never lie to you. Please take my hand."

"Eren? Let's go," Bertolt adds.

Slowly, Eren forces himself to take a deep breath. He ignores the offered hand and puts his blade away. Then he carries Bertolt into the cart. After making sure that Bertolt is fine, he turns to Reiner. Can Reiner even see him? Does he realize what's going on around him? Because of the smoke of titan healing, Eren can't make out much.

Ah, whatever. He'll deal with that later.

He punches in the general direction of Reiner's face. His fist hits something gooey of muscle being regenerated and returns soaked in blood. Gross.

"When you're fully healed, I'm going to punch you again," Eren tells him.

Then he turns away from Reiner. The Beast Titan seems to be frozen in his spot where he had been offering his hand. Oh, looks like he's finally coming to his senses, because the Beast Titan is now facing him with a conflicted frown. Bertolt gives Eren what's probably supposed to be an encouraging smile, except it's not at all encouraging.

Is he really going to trust them?

It... should be fine, right? His plan is to get to the ocean. After that, he plans on fully cooperating with Reiner and Bertolt, even if that means to die. It's going to be pretty funny, though. These guys will celebrate getting the Founding Titan and find out way too late that only those with royal blood can use this power. That will be Eren's petty revenge to whatever it is that's out there before he dies.

He has made his peace. He is fine with this. He-

"Hold it. Leave Eren here."

Eren saw him fall.

Eren saw Levi get caught up in the blast of the Colossal Titan and get flung off the side of the wall. But it looks like Lady Luck is shining on Levi as always. Levi must have grabbed onto the platform that pull people up the wall at just the right time. Even in that craze, he has his blade drawn forth to challenge them. With how the rest of the titan shifters are covered in smoke, they won't be able to hold their ground.

But can Eren fight Levi?

How can he think of fighting when his hand is shaking this much? Damn it. Stop being so embarrassing. Sure, it hurt when Levi broke his fingers and stabbed him. But look. He's already all healed. Even if it hurts, it won't mean anything. As long as Eren's nape is left attached, he won't die. He has to fight with that in mind. He cannot back down here.

"Damn that man," the Beast Titan groans. "Pieck, do you think you can run?"

The quadrupedal titan lets out a sound that Eren guesses is a negative. Pieck, Eren guesses, must be this titan's name. Is it a horse titan of some sorts? Eren does feel bad for stabbing a defenseless horse. But he hasn't exactly forgiven it for eating him.

"Don't even think about running. If you won't leave Eren here, then I'll have you leave your lives here," Levi declares.

Damn it. Wasn't it Levi that left Eren here without any supervision to begin with? So why is he making this big of a deal now? Wasn't he fine if Eren left? Isn't that why they didn't bother taking the vertical maneuvering equipment from Eren? But now that Eren is conspiring with their enemies, Levi doesn't like it? Is that it?

C'mon. That's it. Get angry.

Use that anger to stabilize his shaky legs. Take the steps he needs to stand before Levi. Clean up the mess he made himself.

Eren gets off the cart and holds his blade before him.

The Captain Levi whose back bore the Wings of Freedom that Eren admired so much is coming to rob him of his freedom.

So he will fight.

"Please lend me your shoulder, Eren," the Beast Titan says.

Huh? Lend...?

He feels something on his shoulder.

"Watch your eyes. Turn your face away. Yup. Just like that." The Beast Titan takes a sharp breath in. "Beasts in human clothing should be put to death. Don't you think so, Levi?"

W-wait. Huh? This isn't making any sense. Eren is going to fight. He has his blade out. What is the Beast Titan-

The gunshot is deafening by his ear.

Eren watches in shock as Levi's body falls.

*

The first person to tell Eren about the exploits of Captain Levi of the Survey Corps was the drunk Garrison members of Shiganshina. Hannes thought it was cute that Eren got so excited about these stories, so he rewarded any of his members with a grand tale of the Captain with a drink at the bar. These, of course, had to be something that Eren hadn't already heard before. The Garrison members used to compete against one another on who would tell Eren as soon as they heard the Captain's latest exploits to win a drink.

Funny what he's thinking of at the sight of Levi's fallen body on top of the wall.

There's something on the ground that catches Eren's attention. Clutched in Levi's hand is the string of Eren's necklace. The key attached to it is on the ground next to Levi's dropped blade. But why would Levi hold something so important loosely in his hand like that? Doesn't it make more sense to have it tucked away in his pocket or wear it?

... Unless Levi was coming to return the necklace to Eren.

It's possible, isn't it?

Levi has always been much softer than his stories portrayed him as. Eren has felt that kindness when he first joined the Special Squad, hasn't he? Why did he doubt that? When did he start being terrified of his own Captain? When did he become unable to believe anything out of Levi's mouth?

His throat tightens. His eyes feel hot. There's a heavy feeling that drops like a weight into his stomach.

Why is he finally realizing this now? Why couldn't he have figured this out before he made the decision to break the serum? Why couldn't he have trusted Levi before everything spiraled so out of control? Yes, Armin would have died. But they wouldn't have lost Mikasa and now Levi on top of everything. Why the hell is he so damned stupid?

Why does anything that he wants to do always end in a mess?

"C-Captain..."

His voice is trembling. Actually, he thinks he himself might be trembling. And isn't that a riot? What right does he have to be upset when he had a hand in this? When he had a hand in all of this? He was planning on fighting Levi himself. Was he also going to shake like this after fighting Levi? He has no one but himself to blame. It's his own damned fault that-

Levi isn't moving.

Of course, he isn't. How can he?

Eren saw the bullet go through his Captain's head.

"Captain! Stand up! D-didn't you say that you'll kill me? So you can't! You can't give up here!" Eren finds himself yelling, despite knowing the futility of those words.

Levi is never going to stand again.

He's never going to swing his blades.

He's never going to slay another titan.

Eren is the one who robbed that from him.

There's a small, bitter part of him that whispers, "But isn't that fitting? Isn't this just? Levi stole that from Mikasa first." But if he starts going down that road, all he ends up with more regrets for the actions he took, the words he said. There will be no end to the misery that is taking someone else's life for revenge.

"W-what...? Eren!"

No.

Don't come, Jean. Don't come, Connie. If they get in the range of the Beast Titan's rifle, wouldn't they also...?

Eren doesn't want to lose anyone else.

He knocks the nose of the rifle up with his arm. It seems to have been at the same time that the Beast Titan squeezed the trigger, because the gunshot explodes next to Eren's ear again. While his ears get used to the ringing, his eyes register Hange's head snap backwards as the bullet make contact with her forehead.

Instead of hitting either Connie or Jean, the bullet hit Hange who has been few steps behind them in climbing up the wall. Few steps behind despite the fact that Mikasa stabbed her in the leg. How hard did she force herself to rush up here even though she's injured?

Hange releases her grip on the wall and falls backwards.

It's possible that more people are talking or screaming or yelling. Eren can't tell. His ears are still ringing. But he can't use that as an excuse to stand still. He can't use the shock of two more corpses as an excuse.

If he doesn't move now, both Connie and Jean will join the long list of dead.

Eren turns to face the Beast Titan, his lips drawn back into a snarl. He wants to say something, but his ears are ringing too much to be able to tell if what he said is what he meant. Or if anyone else is speaking.

What terrifyingly cold look in those eyes. So this is the Beast Titan that Erwin sacrificed everyone to defeat. So this is the man that Levi failed to slay.

It happens for just a second.

The Beast Titan's eyes soften.

He reaches for Eren's shoulder, the area where the nose of the rifle used to rest. But Eren isn't in the mood.

Eren dodges the hand and goes to sit with Bertolt inside of the cart. The Beast Titan stands there frozen for a second longer before giving an order to Pieck.

They leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zeke wasn't planning on killing Levi.
> 
> He knows a losing battle when he sees it. He couldn't win against Levi when he was fully healed. There was no way that he could win this when he only had one hand healed. Therefore, running was the only option they had if they had the misfortune of meeting Levi again.
> 
> But Eren was rather thorough when he stabbed Pieck over and over again (Not that he blames his little brother, by the way. Poor Eren must have been so frightened). She was in no state to run right away. Just a few seconds. That was all they had to buy. Just enough to let Pieck heal enough to run again.
> 
> Why did he change his mind, you ask?
> 
> Eren.
> 
> His little brother paled when he saw Levi. There was a slight tremor in his body as he held his blade before himself. Zeke recognized that reaction. It was fear.
> 
> Pure, unadulterated fear.
> 
> But despite this feeling of fear making him tremble, Eren moved to stand between Levi and the Warriors. Even though Eren must still recall the sting of pain from when Levi tortured him earlier, Eren stood to protect them.
> 
> So Zeke decided to kill Levi on the spot.
> 
> He doesn't normally make impulse decisions like this, you know. So Levi should feel grateful. That said, Zeke himself is also rather grateful. Thanks to this godawful monster, Zeke gets a chance to share a kill with Eren. A brotherly bonding time, if you will. Eren will be able to free himself from this walking nightmare and Zeke will be able to rest easy once this monster is put to rest.
> 
> Eren's shouts at Levi to stand back up reminded Zeke so much of his younger self. When he grieved over turning his parents in. But sometimes, you have to cut off the toxic people from your life. Back then, he was too young (too kind, Xaver had said, but Zeke had trouble believing it then) to understand that he didn't need to feel guilty.
> 
> Seeing his little brother's determined glare to stop him from killing more of Levi's comrades cements it for Zeke.
> 
> His brother is kind.
> 
> To this kind little brother of his, how should Zeke go about explaining the world and the cruelty that their father inflicted on them?


	4. In the most heartless fashion I could ever Imagine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The closest Zeke ever got to entertaining the thought of what it might be like to have little brothers was meeting the Grices.
> 
> Colt is a sweet kid. Falco, too.
> 
> But every time Zeke interacts with the Grices, he can't ignore the feeling of guilt that threatens to swallow him. These two kids could have had a normal life. But because Zeke felt justified (he was entitled) in throwing his parents away for his own survival (his and his grandparents'), he forcibly turned the entire Grice family (and countless other families) into traitors.
> 
> He knows that his grandparents watch out for those families the best they can as a way of atoning for what Grisha did. But to those families, he knows that it often comes across as grating. Especially since Zeke (the Jaeger family as a whole) benefited from it all.
> 
> Even if he feels fondness for Colt and Falco and the other children of those families, it's always tainted by what he has done.
> 
> But that's not the case for Eren.
> 
> If Zeke didn't turn his parents in, Eren would not have been born.
> 
> It's beyond selfish of him to feel like this. It's self-serving and frankly disgusting to be glad of such a terrible thing he has done. So many people were hurt by his actions then. He knows that.
> 
> But because of his terrible action, he ended up with a little brother.
> 
> Someone who also suffered through being raised by that horrible man. Someone who shares Zeke's pain.
> 
> Someone who must understand how Zeke feels, how Zeke thinks.
> 
> How can he be anything but excited?

"My name is Zeke Jaeger. I am the War Chief of the Warriors Division," the Beast Titan says once they've been riding in silence for a while.

Eren's ears have stopped ringing by then. To be honest, he doesn't really want to talk. But he figures now is a good time as any to demand answers.

"If I didn't stop you, were you planning on killing everyone on top of that wall?"

He can feel Bertolt's panicked gaze locked onto him. He can feel Reiner stir. But he keeps his eyes focused on the Beast Titan's disappointed expression.

"Making sure that we won't be chased was the most important thing for me at that time. If that means annihilating my enemies, why would I hesitate?"

Eren hates how much that makes sense. It's not like these guys are lacking information either. So they have no need to keep anyone alive. Eren should be grateful that Connie and Jean were spared.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

What the hell is he thinking? Grateful? Why should he? Jean and Connie both made their choice to stand with Hange and Levi. Hange clearly had no intentions of helping him or even seeing him as someone that isn't a test subject, especially judging from her cold eyes when they stole the basement key from him. And Levi...

Levi came after him with his blades drawn.

Eren made the choice to stand before Levi to fight.

Is he going to childishly blame the Beast Titan for the kill shot when he's the one who first answered Levi's call for a fight? He and everyone else already knew when he stood against Levi that he won't win. At least this way, they all escaped from there.

At least this way, Eren has a path to see the ocean.

When he opens his eyes again, he turns to Zeke seriously.

"I will not have been able to stop Captain Levi on my own. Thank you for your help."

Zeke's expression melts into one of delighted surprise. Then it gives way to a fond smile. It's reminding Eren all over again. Just how much this man looks like his dad, especially when he makes that kind of a gentle expression.

"Erm... I... I couldn't help but to notice that you look like my dad. A-and that you share my family name... B-by any chance, do you know a man by the name of 'Grisha Jaeger?'"

The smile immediately disappears and is replaced by a guarded one. This isn't a topic that Zeke wants to talk about. But it's not a blank look. That means Zeke knows Eren's dad. Zeke isn't making any move to talk, so Eren figures he'll just keep going.

"A-are you... his brother? That is, are you my uncle?"

Bertolt lets out a small hiss and whispers something like "Eren, no. Why would you say that?"

Eren wishes Bertolt would've said that earlier before Eren spoke, because wow. That is... quite the expression on Zeke's face. Calling it "despair" is probably too extreme, but Eren dares argue that it's close.

Zeke covers his face, probably to stop himself from exploding at Eren. Then with a forced smile, he looks to Eren.

"I'm his son, actually. Grisha Jaeger's first born. I'm _your_ brother."

First son...? Brother...?

The words of disbelief are at the tip of his tongue. Zeke seems to understand that, because he holds his hand up to signal for Eren to wait.

"I'm sure you're confused, and you have a lot of questions. But some of what I wish to tell you are top secret information that I'm not at liberty to share freely. Everything else you wish to know, I will answer honestly."

What the hell's up with that suspicious condition? "Top secret information?" Isn't that the same as saying that Zeke will pick and choose what he deems important for Eren to hear? Rather than that, Eren prefers to hear from Reiner and Bertolt who doesn't have such a condition. Reiner is still healing his face, so Eren doubts that he'd hear much from him. But Bertolt glances at him when Eren turns to look at him.

Good enough.

"So tell me about your hometown. You guys went on and on about it, but never really in detail."

"Our hometown is a place called Liberio," Bertolt begins.

With that as the start, Bertolt tells Eren of the world outside the high walls. Of a country called Marley. Of an age's old sin, committed by a group of people called Eldians. Of a division called "Warriors" created to atone for that sin.

"And that's why you called us 'children of the devil,'" Eren recalls.

Bertolt nods. "Yes. Because you are the descendants of the devils that ran from their sins."

"Yet the ones who killed those idiots who didn't know a single thing about this 'devils' and 'sins' were you and Reiner."

There's a pinched look on Bertolt's face that lets Eren know that he needs to back off. But it bothers him.

"Were you there?" Eren asks. "When this witch named Ymir killed people, I mean. Were you there when she demolished empires? Raped and pillaged? All the sins that you said she committed, were you there to bear witness?"

"No, don't be silly. That was thousands of years ago. And it wasn't just her. It was the rest of her bloodline. In other words: us, Eldians."

Eren nods. "Then were you part of that sins committed? When the rest of her bloodline continued the bloodshed, were you part of that?"

"No! Of course not! What are you trying to get at?" Bertolt asks, lips drawn into an unfriendly frown.

"I'm saying that it's fucking stupid to make people who weren't part of the 'sin' to pay for it. 'Atonement' don't mean jack shit when someone points a gun at your family and tell you to do it. What the hell are you even 'atoning' for? You weren't the ones who committed those horrendous deeds. And in your atonement, you cause even more terrible things like you and Reiner did, then aren't you just creating a never-ending cycle?"

"That's not how the world sees it, Eren," Zeke interjects.

It's stupid, that's what it is. But what's stupider is getting heated up about it when Eren is planning on going along with that system. After he sees the ocean, he'll let Bertolt and Reiner do whatever they need to do with this titan power inside of him (so that their families won't die. Jeesh, if they just told him that from the start, he wouldn't have lashed out so violently). That was his decision. Getting mad about things he has no intention of changing is stupid.

That said, there's something important he needs to tell them.

"I wasn't going to say anything, because I thought it would be a fitting punishment for you guys. But if it involves innocent lives, I don't feel right staying silent. The Founding Titan's power can only be used by those with royal blood. I have no doubts that your superiors or whoever plan on eating me to pass that power to someone they can control. But that person won't be able to use this power unless they are of royal blood."

Bertolt nods. "You mentioned that before. But no matter how I think it over, I can't imagine it being a fluke. Eren, you used the Founding Titan's power. You must be a member of the royal family."

"There's a second part to it. Only those of the royal family can use the Founding Titan. And in return, those of the royal family who inherit the Founding Titan end up controlled by the will of King Fritz. In other words, even those of royal blood will be forced to only use that power in conjunction with King Fritz's vow of peace."

"But your order was for the pure titans to attack us. To... to kill us, right? That goes against the vow of peace?" Bertolt asks slowly.

"I'm pretty sure killing someone goes against peace, yeah," Eren agrees.

Bertolt gives him an exasperated look.

"Then there's one possible answer," Zeke says. "You gave an order with a will that was stronger than that of King Fritz's."

An order that was stronger...? It sounds good in theory, but Eren doubts it. Assuming 13 years of full term for every inheritor of the Founding Titan in the 200 year period that supposedly the Walls were up for, that's approximately 15 people. Of those 15 that have been trying desperately to defy King Fritz, only Eren was able to do so? C'mon, no matter how Eren turns it in his head, that's way too laughable.

"We have some time. So why don't we test it?" Zeke suggests.

*

They stop by one of the giant tree forests for this test. The quadrupedal titan finds a thick branch for them to stay on. After leaving the still-healing shifters and Eren on said branch, it runs off. When it returns, it's with a few pure titans chasing it from the ground. Once the pure titans are situated beneath them, Pieck runs off, presumably to bring more.

"Give the command to make them disperse," Zeke tells Eren.

Sounds great. Will he also like for Eren to do a tap dance while he's here? How many times does he have to say that he can't use this power?

But from the looks he's receiving from both Zeke and Bertolt (Reiner, hurry up and heal so Eren can hit him once before all this is over), he doubts he can half-ass this. Alright. Fine. They want to see him fail that badly?

"G-get away!" Eren yells at the titans below.

As he knew it would, they ignore him. Eren takes a small breath to calm himself. Then he calls out once more. And again and again.

Knowing that this is futile, he screams his voice hoarse.

* * *

Nothing is happening.

Perhaps it was too naïve of Zeke to demand this from Eren so suddenly.

Eren is currently resting on the branch, next to Reiner, who has healed considerably. Zeke offered him some water for his throat earlier, but it was refused. It looks like being unable to use the power is bothering him quiet a bit. Then again, Zeke supposes it would be weirder if it didn't. Eren doubtlessly believe this is the only possible way to get into their good graces. And because Zeke made such a big deal over it, he won't be able to take it back if it turns out that Eren really can't use this power.

But Reiner and Bertolt had been sure that Eren used it before.

What did they see then?

"Maybe it's because it's too peaceful here?" Reiner asks uncertainly. "At that time, Eren, you were desperate because everyone's lives were in danger."

In danger?

Zeke really didn't want to do this.

He prioritized his legs once his right hand was healed. It feels unsteady to stand, but he can stand. Zeke makes his way over to Eren.

Reiner glances up at him and gives a small nod of acknowledgement, but Eren doesn't look up.

Please forgive Zeke for what he's about to do.

He grabs Eren by the front of his shirt and shoves Eren backwards off the branch. Eren's being held up just by his legs still on the branch and by Zeke's grip on his shirt. Green eyes look up at him with shock.

"W-War Chief!" Reiner shouts at the same time Bertolt does.

Pieck looks curious but does not make a move. Trusting Zeke's judgement, huh? Good call.

"Command them to leave. If you can't, I'll drop you."

Eren closes his eyes for a second and breaths out slowly. When he opens them, he gives Zeke a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. I already know you won't. So it's hard to take this seriously."

How is it that such simple words is enough to make Zeke's heart waver? Was Zeke always such a soft person? Sure, he wasn't planning on dropping Eren. But to be so blatantly called out like this is...

Why does he feel so much like...

It's probably because he forced himself to move when he wasn't fully healed. He knew he wasn't steady on his feet, but he did this anyways. So this is probably his own body protesting against the strain.

He feels himself tilt before it registers exactly what's happening.

The only thing he can do is pull Eren in to try and save him from falling. But they were unbalanced to start with. Moving like that isn't enough.

Eren must have realized what's happening the minute Zeke began to slip. He wraps one arm around Zeke best he can and-

So this must be the vertical maneuvering equipment that he examined off of that Survey Corps member.

An anchor flies off into the tree, embedding in securely. There's the sound of gas hissing, and the two of them goes flying towards that tree. Then with a rather pathetic sputtering sound, the two of them end up suspended in air like that, held up only by the single anchor.

"Shit. Of all times to jam...!" Eren hisses.

Eren's currently supporting both of their weights by having both his feet planted firmly on the tree. Zeke rests with his chest against Eren's, his right hand still gripping Eren's shirt. The anchor looks to be from Eren's left side. Do these anchors normally hold more weights than this? Because it doesn't seem to be faltering despite both of their weights.

But now, they're much closer to the taller titans on the ground. The reach of the titans isn't long enough to grab them. But it's too close for Zeke to feel comfortable.

"Reiner, I swear to god! If you fall, I'm going to laugh when you get eaten!" Eren snaps.

Zeke glances back and sees Reiner and Bertolt look at them worriedly from the branch. In this situation, Eren had enough awareness to notice that?

"Do you think you can grip the rope of the anchor and pull yourself up?" Eren asks Zeke.

And he already has a plan to get out of this? Instead of asking for help from Pieck, Eren is looking for a way out by himself.

"I can try," Zeke says.

Eren nods.

Zeke doesn't get too far. The anchor's rope isn't made to be climbed like this. And added to the fact that Zeke only has his right hand to work with makes this a painful trip that quickly gets nowhere.

"Sorry. I don't think I can," Zeke tells Eren.

For just a second, he sees it. The disgusted look on Grisha's face when he found out that Zeke was the worst among all the children aspiring to be part of the Warriors Division. The shame that colored Grisha's cheeks as he directed Dina away.

"Good effort," Eren says, patting Zeke lightly on the shoulder. "Yeah, I feared it might not be possible to climb this. So I guess that leaves..."

Eren's already looking at the next step. If he is disappointed by Zeke, he doesn't show it. Instead, Eren's green eyes are looking around, assessing the situation while muttering under his breath.

Why doesn't he blame Zeke for putting them in this situation? Why doesn't he demand for Zeke to fix this by ordering Pieck to rescue them? How can Eren look for a way out by himself?

"Alright. This is probably going to be stupid as hell, but I need you to trust me. Hold on to me, alright? If you fall, that's it. I can't help you," Eren warns.

With that, Eren takes a deep breath and grabs the rope of the anchor. He takes slow steps forward, bracing both his own weight as well as Zeke's. It must be heavy. The rope is also hard to grip. But Eren pushes forward with his eyes set determinedly set on a goal that Zeke wishes he can see.

The weight was probably too much.

Eren slips.

Despite his warning, he immediately moves to grab Zeke. The two jerk with the force of the slip and hang in the air uncomfortably. Eren pulls himself back up against the tree on with effort, supporting Zeke's weight yet again.

"I-I can-"

Whatever else Zeke wants to say gets lost at the livid look in Eren's eyes. It's not aimed at Zeke, by the way.

It's aimed at the pure titans below them.

"If you're that hungry, why don't you go eat shit? Leave us alone, damn it!"

Zeke can only describe it as an electric shock. If he was struck by lightening, this is probably close to what it feels like. And for just that second, he feels like he's connected. He's not sure what he's connected to, but he's connected to it.

Eren's angry command echoes in his head with a ripping force. If Zeke wasn't more certain of himself, would he have fallen under the command, too? Because the pure titans begin to leave the area.

When Zeke gives his command to the pure titans that turn from his spinal fluid, there are always a few that disobeys him. Those with a more stubborn streak, the Titan Society of Marley concluded after studying his powers for long. But when Eren gives an order, every pure titan obeys without question.

This must be what a true royal family's ability must look with the Founding Titan.

"It seems when your life is in danger, you can command them," Zeke says lightly.

Eren won't meet eyes with him. In fact, isn't his cheeks a bit red? Is he embarrassed about something? But why? He just proved that he does indeed have the Founding Titan.

"It wasn't just my life that was in danger."

Zeke opens his mouth and then closes it soundlessly. Because doesn't that mean that Eren...?

Huh?

Did Eren use his ability because he feared for Zeke's life...?

For a second, Zeke can see it. A kingly crown upon Eren's head.

If someone like Eren were to be king, then...

*

It's not until they're all safe back in Pieck's cart, moving towards the shore again that it occurs to Zeke what he forgot.

In the excitement of everything that has happened, he completely forgot to talk to Eren in Paths.

But...

"Wait, so there's nine of these 'special' titans? And each of them originates from the Founding Titan, which is why it's so important?" Eren asks.

Both Bertolt and Reiner nod.

"And this whole thing came to be because the witch Ymir's daughters ate her? That's so messed up!"

It doesn't look like Eren's going to cause them trouble. In fact, Eren's taking in all of their words rather seriously without making snide remarks. It seems Reiner's worries were for naught.

"Ah, speaking of Ymir, whatever happened to our Ymir?" Eren asks.

Reiner's expression turns grim. "She's currently on the boat, waiting for us. We didn't trust her to return if we let her come with us for this fight."

"But you trusted her on that boat to not run away?" Eren asks, his voice light. "Sounds weird, but hey, what do I know about the outside world?"

See? Look how agreeable Eren is! Reiner's initial assessment that Eren is a brat of a child who reacts like a feral dog is clearly wrong. If anything, Eren is an eager student who just needed an opportunity.

Even without a talk in Paths, Zeke feels confident that Eren will be on his side. Likewise, he has every intentions to be by Eren's.

A little brother, huh?

"Oh, does Pieck not need to graze?" Eren asks.

... Come again?

"Well, we've been traveling for a while without stopping. Typically, you need to let your horse rest for a bit and graze."

There's a rumbling sound that shakes the cart that they're in.

"My bad! My introduction came late!" Pieck says, laughing, in her creepy titan voice. "I'm Pieck Finger, the Cart Titan. I assure you, I'm not a horse, and I most definitely don't need to graze!"

"O-oh... S-sorry! I-I just... erm... Sorry."

It takes everything Zeke has to keep his face neutral. And after a while, he gives up and covers his face to stop himself grinning like an idiot. He can already hear Eren snap at Bertolt and Reiner for teasing him. And he's supposed to be on Eren's side. So he most definitely can't be caught laughing.

But damn it, Eren is so damned cute.

His little brother, Zeke wishes he could announce to all of the world to hear, is the cutest and the most honest and the most caring person in the world!

Zeke has every intention of protecting him.

* * *

Eren doesn't recall falling asleep, but he finds himself shaken awake by Reiner and his excited smile.

"Good morning. We have some dry ration for breakfast. But before that, I thought you'd want to see this."

Reiner is fully healed, Eren notes. They all are now, actually. Bertolt is over there in his corner in that strange sleeping posture of his (Too bad no one is here to predict today's weather with it). Zeke seems to be pulling out the dry rations for them. Pieck is still running, carrying them to their destination. And Reiner is grinning at Eren like he's about to explode with giddiness.

It almost makes Eren grin back like the last few months didn't happen.

It's still night time, judging from how dark it is. So whatever it is that Reiner wants Eren to see, he's not sure how well he'll be able to make it out in this darkness. Despite thinking so, Eren turns to look in the direction Reiner is pointing, which so happens to be the same direction that Pieck is running in.

It is just as Eren predicted. He can't see anything in this darkness. Maybe squinting might help...? Nope. He can't make anything out. How the hell is Reiner seeing whatever it is? His eyesight cannot be better than Eren's!

"Rei-"

"Shhh, just give it a few..."

Few what? Seconds? Minutes? Be more clear!

With a small sigh, Eren returns to squinting in the distance. He hears Bertolt wakes up behind him and talk to Zeke. He thinks he vaguely makes out Pieck giving its greeting.

And that's when it happens.

The sun slowly rises in the distance above what has to be a reflective surface (like water). The entire world lights up, bleaching the darkness until there's nothing but an endless body of water spanning far beyond that horizon.

"See that? That's the ocean," Reiner says.

It exists.

It's right there.

It's always been there.

Outside the walls, just as Armin had said.

Eren's eyes feel hot. Look, Armin. The ocean is right...

Wait. Wait. Mikasa.

Eren pulls out the red scarf he tucked away. His fingers feel so clumsy. Is it because of this overwhelming feeling of seeing the ocean? Because he's seeing it for himself. Something that he always believed to be nothing more than a fairy tale. His eyes keep watering, making it hard to see. Why does his heart feel so heavy?

Someone takes the scarf out of Eren's hands.

"H-hey!"

Bertolt gives Eren a patient smile that seems insultingly kind. He wraps the scarf around Eren with care that Eren doesn't expect. Is this why Mikasa treasured this scarf so? This soft feeling in his heart of having someone wrap a scarf around him makes him feel like he can fly, even if the scarf smells overwhelmingly of iron. Bertolt ties the ends of the scarf securely and leaves it comfortably around Eren's neck.

"Now you and Mikasa can both see it, right?" he says.

Reiner reaches over and ruffles Eren's hair. "See? It was worth trusting us."

They realize it, right? That Eren planned on going along with whatever they ask of him once he sees the ocean? That has to be why they're treating him so kindly like this. Because to believe otherwise seems too tragic.

"T-thanks," Eren mumbles because he doesn't know what else to say.

"Breakfast!" Zeke calls.

For now, Eren decides to take care of his hunger first.

*

It takes them two more hours until they arrive at a tall wall that blocks the view of the ocean. It's not so big that it completely blocked their view as they approach it. But now that they're next to it, Eren realizes how tall it is. Almost as tall as-

"Stop it, all of you!! Noooo! Don't you understand?! That's Grice!!"

Eren blinks.

Huh? What was that? Did he just... hear his dad's voice? But who the hell is Grice? And why would he hear something like that now? Did he imagine it? He thought he slept pretty well, but maybe he's actually half-awake?

"The ship and the ocean is on the other side of this," Reiner says. "Erm... Y-you know how we told you about the pure titans roaming here being traitors to Marley? This is where the traitors were taken care of."

Taken care of meaning that they were all turned to titans. And that must be how their Ymir (not the witch from the story) ended up wandering the lands for 60 or so years. Man, how old is she then? Mina once told Eren that it was rude to ask a girl her age. But does it count when that person is a titan shifter?

"When we get to the top of this, there are stairs leading down to the other side," Bertolt continues.

Makes sense. This side is where all the pure titans were. In order to be kept safe, of course, there would be stairs on the other side.

Pieck gives a warning before it begins to climb the wall with ease. No wonder no one within the walls were able to spot them sneaking in. Aside from keeping out the pure titans, the three walls really doesn't do much against the nine special titans, does it?

"Hahahaha! Look! She won't even look at you. She's going right after little Grice! Guess she had a thing for him after all."

... Huh? What was that? Whose voice is that?

Eren glances around and watches as a blonde woman turns into the smiling titan that killed his mom and Hannes with a flash of lightning. And just as suddenly as he saw that, he realizes that he's back in the cart with three other Warriors and Pieck is still climbing.

Did no one else see that?

Don't tell him this is yet another one of the Founding Titan's power or something? Of all the powers in the world, why does it have to be hallucinations?

"Pieck, can you stop at the top for a bit?" Zeke requests.

They come to a stop at the top of the wall as Zeke asked. The view is breathtaking. The water shimmers like the most expensive and precious jewel. There's also a breeze that carries the scent of something distinct that Eren can't name. Is this what all oceans smell like? Actually, how many oceans are there?

If there's just one thing that's ruining the view, it is the giant ship parked by the harbor. The ship is the biggest that Eren has seen. But that doesn't mean Eren wants to see it. He wanted to focus just on the ocean and not on these "Marleys" that he'll doubtlessly have to face sooner or later.

"This is how you use the power of the titans."

It has to be a trick of the light, right? Because one minute, Eren is complaining in his head about the ship ruining his view, and in the next, a titan that looks terrifyingly a lot like him breaks the ship over its shoulders.

Huh? Huh??? W-what the hell is-

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Zeke asks.

The titan is gone. The ship that Eren watched get destroyed is standing just fine by the harbor. Actually, now that Eren looks closer, he realizes that the ship before them now is very different from the one he saw be destroyed. But what was that? What did he just see? Does it have to do with those weird voices he's been hearing? Does no one else sees or hears these?

"Y-yeah," Eren manages out.

"Do you want to take your time and look around here? The rest of us have to report back but-"

Zeke doesn't get a chance to finish.

Someone with a military uniform that Eren doesn't recognize starts yelling from the ground.

"I apologize, Eren," Zeke says. "Looks like we have to deal with our superiors first."

*

Pieck drops them off in front of the yelling man and is helped by others in the same military uniform to take off the objects on the cart on its back. Zeke stands as if to shield Eren from the man, so Eren figures it's fine if he doesn't really pay attention to them. Bertolt and Reiner are scolded along with Zeke.

What a shame.

The ocean is right there, but Eren has to stay here, listening to this? Marleyans sure are evil...

Eren is starting to think maybe he shouldn't think of anything negative. Because almost as soon as he thought that, a giant hand comes down to crush the Marleyan officer next to him. He sees the blood and guts spurt everywhere. Then the body is thrown carelessly, leaving small pools of red on the once pristine surface of the ocean.

"So, anything you want to ask me?"

There's a man before him, holding a bloody handkerchief to his nose. The lines around his eyes and the titan healing smoke tell Eren that this man is a shifter. The man looks terribly tired as he looks at Eren.

"... Where do I even start?"

Huh? Did Eren say that? No, that wasn't his own voice. But it felt like the words left his own mouth. What's going on? What is this that he's seeing? Why is he hearing these voices?

"Eren!"

With that as the only warning, a pair of arms wrap around Eren from the back. He feels someone press against his back. The Marleyan that has been yelling about who knows what makes a strangling sound. In fact, Reiner and Bertolt both flush and look away, and Zeke has a firm frown of disapproval on his face.

Huh? Did he miss something?

"Let me introduce myself again! I am Pieck Finger, the Cart Titan," says a feminine voice.

The owner of the voice releases Eren and moves to face him, completely naked. She holds her hand up for Eren to shake. Seeing that she doesn't seem to care that a lot of the soldiers are staring unabashedly, Eren figures this must be normal. He shakes her hand.

"I'm Eren Jaeger. But you should already know that by now."

It looks like Pieck froze for whatever reasons. She makes no move to let Eren's hand go. Eren has to yank his hand back from her grip. That finally snaps her back, though. It looks like it also snapped the others back. A soldier runs over with clothes for Pieck to wear.

"You... uh... You're not shocked?" she asks as she accepts the jacket and pants.

"About what?" Eren asks, confused.

She opens her mouth and then closes it. "T-that I'm a beautiful woman? Doesn't my Titan's voice differ a lot from how I really am? Or that... y-you know, I'm not dressed?"

"Oh, are you new to shifting? It's a typical thing to lose your clothes when you shift back to human from titan. Don't worry about it," Eren tells her.

Hm? Why is everyone giving him that look? It's the same look that Eren used to receive a lot before Jean picked fights with him while growling about how unfair the world is or whatever. But Jean isn't here right now.

Jean won't ever be here.

Reiner lets out a soft sigh and pats Eren's back. "You're a man of men, Eren."

H-huh? Why does that sound so much like an insult???

"Keep being yourself, Eren," Bertolt adds, ruffling Eren's hair.

Stop it! Stop being so creepy! It's giving Eren goosebumps!

"This, sir, is the King of Eldia. He holds the Founding Titan. Please keep in mind that he can activate the Rumbling at any moment he chooses when speaking to him," Zeke tells the Marleyan officer. Then to Eren, he says, "Eren, this is the Navy Captain who is in charge of the ship and our voyage home."

That Captain's face just turned pale. Is it really that big of a deal to... Wait. What did Zeke say?

"H-hail, King of Paradis," the Marleyan Captain says nervously to Eren.

Hail? What age are they in? Wait no, the problem isn't that. The problem is-

"Hello to you, too," Eren says cautiously.

And just as he's about to correct Zeke about the whole "King" business, the Captain orders Zeke, "Make sure our guest is comfortable." And then runs.

"Is he okay?" Eren asks, motioning to where the man just left. "Does he have to use the bathroom? Why'd he leave in such a hurry?"

"That's how Marleyans are," Zeke tells him. "They said they can get the ship ready to leave in an hour. Until then, would you like to walk around the shore?"

"Before that, there's something I want to do," Eren says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "There is no such thing as truth in this world. That is our reality. Anyone can become a god or a devil. All it takes is for someone to claim it for it to be true."
> 
> It's clear that the others can't see nor hear this. And like a play unfolding only for Eren, a man with titan shifting lines under his eyes continue to speak on top of the wall that divides the harbor and the rest of the Paradis Island.
> 
> "Look. I brought this from your home."
> 
> Even without looking, Eren sees the photo flash in his mind. A family portrait of three. Grisha, a young Zeke, and a woman with blonde hair that Eren saw become that smiling titan. Dina. Grisha's first wife, Zeke's mom.
> 
> The one who killed Carla and Hannes.
> 
> The one Eren got rid of, using the power of the Founding Titan the first time around.
> 
> "If you want to save them all... Mikasa, Armin, and the others... carry out your mission to the end."
> 
> The things he saw since he arrived at this wall, the things he kept experiencing and hearing, all of that can be chalked into one answer, can't they?
> 
> Someone gave his father a titan called the "Attack Titan." Using it, Grisha made it to the wall, started a family, and eventually took the Founding Titan by killing the Reiss family. Then the two titans came to Eren.
> 
> All of that has clicked into place now. Eren gets it.
> 
> The reason why his dad who valued life as a doctor stained his own hands red with blood of Historia's family.
> 
> The reason why he is seeing these memories now, in the place where his dad first received the Attack Titan.
> 
> The reason why he was able to use the Founding Titan's abilities in those short instances. Once with Dina's titan. The other with Zeke.
> 
> But there's just one question that he can't quite seem to find an answer for.
> 
> The man who gave his dad the power of the Attack Titan, the man who spoke of both Armin and Mikasa to Grisha, the man that is currently standing before Eren with shifter lines under his eyes...
> 
> "Whose memories could these be?"
> 
> Who was that man?
> 
> *
> 
> There are no more memories after that. Rather, there are no more memories here.
> 
> But if Eren were to take steps towards Bertolt's and Reiner's hometown, to Marley...
> 
> To Liberio.
> 
> Wouldn't he be able to see more?
> 
> "Carry out your mission to the end," the mystery shifter told Grisha. But somehow, it felt like that shifter was scolding Eren. Like the shifter was telling him, "Mikasa and Armin died because you faltered, because you turned away from your mission."
> 
> If Grisha's mission was to go to the royals and steal the Founding Titan, then what is Eren's mission?
> 
> If he goes to Liberio, will he receive the answer to these questions?


	5. No pretense of decor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "What is all of this?"
> 
> Porco flinches at his mom's voice. He feels his cheeks burn with embarrassment, but it's a bit too late to try and hide the fruits, books, and toys on the table.
> 
> "W-well, War Chief Zeke and Pieck were deployed to Paradis Island. So it's only a matter of time before Marce comes back home. S-so..."
> 
> Ah damn it. Why the hell is this so embarrassing?
> 
> He makes a helpless gesture at the gathered items. "I grabbed things that I thought Marcel would like."
> 
> "Are you sure you didn't just buy things you liked and used Marcel as an excuse?" his mom asks, raising a brow.
> 
> Urk. Why must she be so good at reading him?
> 
> "M-Marcel would love these! I'm sure of it!" he protests. "Just you wait! He's going to thank me so much when he sees all of these!"
> 
> His mom sighs, but she doesn't scold him any more on the topic. Porco does see her add a few more things when she thinks no one's looking. When his dad finds out about the pile of things, he laughingly adds things without being prompted.
> 
> Porco can't wait to see his dumb brother again.
> 
> Five years is a long time to keep his family waiting, but it must have been for a good reason, seeing that Marcel isn't the type to goof off. But he better as hell prepare a damned good reason why he took this long.
> 
> And that souvenir he promised Porco better be awesome.

"... What are you doing here?" Ymir asks, pointing at Eren in disbelief.

"This and that happened," Eren says without missing a beat.

He walks into the storage room on the ship that Ymir has been forced to stay in, looking around in clear curiosity. Her eyes can't look away from the red scarf around Eren's neck that clearly has dried blood on it. If the Warriors succeeded in murdering Mikasa (or Armin, for that matter), Eren would never have come with them this willingly. That leaves two possibilities. One, Eren lost his memories. Or two, the Survey Corps realized what kind of a mad dog they're raising and cut their losses.

"Eren, do you know who I am?" Ymir asks slowly.

"Don't ask stupid things, Ymir. You're not Connie."

Okay. So the first isn't it. But there's no way the Survey Corps would release their well-kept dog, no matter how mad he is. So what happened? Ymir can't imagine it. Or maybe it's more honest to say that she doesn't care what happened. What matters more to her is...

"How's Historia?"

What's that expression on Eren's face? Then just as suddenly, he smirks at her like she's an idiot.

"If you cared that much, why'd you leave her?"

Bastard.

Reiner and Bertolt stand back, looking at them with thinly veiled concern. The Beast Titan isn't nearby (probably running errands for Marleyans), but there's a girl that Ymir doesn't recall meeting here. Are they all here to make sure Eren doesn't run? Or...?

"Ymir, did they tell you? Once we inherit a titan, we have a maximum of 13 years to live."

She didn't know that there was a hard limit, but she figured it would be something like that. Otherwise, it would be too convenient for the cursed Eldians such as them.

"I'm going to go play in the ocean. Wanna come?" Eren asks.

Ymir can't figure out what this guy is trying to get at. But it's been quite some time since she has been allowed out of this room.

"Alright. I'll play."

*

The girl that Ymir hasn't met before introduces herself as Pieck. She pulls Ymir to the side of the shore, preventing her from getting into the waters.

"H-hey," she says, clearly nervous about something. "I have a question about Eren."

Ugh. Gross. Ymir will happily dodge this question, thanks.

"You're better off asking Reiner. He knows Eren best out of all of us here."

Reiner, who was just about to join Eren and Bertolt in the water, pauses and glances at them. "What about me?"

Pieck makes a face that says she really doesn't want to talk to Reiner. But Ymir honestly can care less.

"Is there something wrong with his head? Eren, I mean. I showed my naked body to him, and he didn't even blink."

Gross. Gross. Gross.

Ymir will make the argument that Pieck is the one with something wrong in her head for randomly showing her body to a stranger like that, expecting something in return. Like who even does that? But hey, maybe when you're a Warrior, you're expected to show a certain level of fan service for the rest of the division.

Still gross, though.

"Yeah, that's just how Eren is," Ymir says, waving her hand carelessly in the air. "If you want him to respond positively to you, talk to him about killing titans."

As everyone did when they first realized what kind of person Eren is, Pieck's expression twitches. Without being a mind reader, Ymir already knows that she must be cursing Eren out. Yeah, yeah. Ymir already heard so many mournful sighs and wistful wishes from the cadets of 104 squad to not recognize these signs.

"But you know, it's probably because of that," Reiner says, joining their conversation even though no one asked him to.

"... That?" Pieck asks reluctantly.

Reiner nods. "He grew up with Mikasa and Armin always by his side. So he's used to seeing beautiful and cute people."

Pfft. At least Reiner is keeping this entertaining. Heh. Alright. This looks more fun than getting salt water in mouth like Bertolt. Let's see. What else can Ymir add to make Eren's image worse?

"Yeah, even Annie was fond of him. He got around quite a lot. So he's used to seeing naked bodies."

Hehehe. What a disgusted expression on Pieck's face. Take that, Eren. This is what he gets for not answering Ymir's question about how Historia is doing.

"W-what a... charismatic person," Pieck forces out.

"It's not just ladies either," Ymir adds. She motions at Bertolt, who is laughing with Eren in the water. Then she nods at Reiner discreetly.

Pieck's eyes look like they might be bulging. Heh.

Reiner seems to be frozen, staring at Bertolt and Eren with a look like he can't quite comprehend what he's seeing. Is he upset because Bertolt already replaced him?

"There's something that's been bothering me," he says lowly. "But Bertolt was never that close to Eren before. Before, it was Annie and me who were close to Eren."

What? He's jealous?

"I'm... wondering if it's his Founding Titan. Subconsciously, we're all being lured in by it. Even War Chief Zeke seemed to be caught. If we spend a lot of time with Eren, we might become unable to refuse anything he asks for."

* * *

Bertolt could have sworn that they all came out together from the ship to play in the ocean. But somehow, only he and Eren seems to be in the water. Ymir and Pieck are talking to each other on the shore with Reiner. Bertolt supposes it makes sense that if Ymir decides to run, both the Cart and the Armored are better suited to give chase than the Colossal. But Bertolt was hoping that he wouldn't end up being a babysitter alone, you know?

If there's a silver lining, it's that Eren is entertaining himself in the water, splashing around like a little kid.

Is it really that fascinating? It's just salty water. Bertolt can't imagine playing in the ocean is any different from playing in the stream. But Eren seems to be having fun.

"Oops."

Eren must have stepped wrong. He slips and starts to fall.

Damn it. Bertolt can't have even a second of peace, can he? He rushes over to steady Eren. But Eren must have decided to make Bertolt's life a living hell today. He catches himself and straightens like nothing happened.

Bertolt, who had been panicked to try and catch Eren, ends up slipping on something and falls head-first into the salt water. Ugh. It tastes so bad. He can't imagine why anyone wants to willingly play in here.

Slowly, Bertolt manages to sit up so that at least his head is no longer under water. He's about to pull himself up when he realizes that Eren is standing right before him.

A shiver of fear goes down his spine. And isn't that hilarious? Until just a second ago, Bertolt has been fine being in Eren's presence. But the minute he realizes that the two of them are alone with no one else nearby, an uneasy fear settles in his stomach. Eren is going to make good on his promise. He has to be. That's why he got Bertolt alone, didn't he?

Because let's be honest. This is the perfect opportunity.

No one else is paying attention.

Eren can easily get revenge for Armin (and for his mom and all the long list of people that the Colossal directly or indirectly killed) right now. All Eren has to do is push Bertolt's head down and hold it under the salty water. And yes, titan shifters can heal their wounds, but it's not like they can heal themselves from being unable to breath. It would be painful. Just as Eren promised.

A painful and slow death.

"You alright?" Eren asks, holding out his hand.

It has to be the position of the sun. The way it lines perfectly behind Eren, giving him a radiant glow. If, as Zeke had said, Eren truly was a king, then this would be the perfect image to present with a crown upon his head. 

When Bertolt continue to stare blankly at him, Eren tilts his head to the side.

"Bertolt? You there?"

"Ah, no, I... Just for a second, you looked kingly."

Eren splashes his face with water. That's the second Bertolt got salty water in his mouth. But he finds himself laughing. He splashes water back at Eren, watching with glee as Eren splutters at the taste.

"Ack! That's super salty!" Eren laughs.

Oh.

Eren's laughing.

It's been a while since Bertolt saw him laugh. Even during their training days, it was a rare sight to see. But to think that Bertolt would see it after Mikasa and Armin died...

"W-what? Don't stare so much. It's creeping me out," Eren tells him, looking self-conscious.

"No, I just... don't recall seeing you laugh this much before."

Eren makes a face. "I-it looks awkward, doesn't it? Like really unnatural?"

"No, not at all. I thought it looked nice," Bertolt assures him.

"I don't believe you," Eren grumbles, pouting at the water. "I just... figured I wanted to show Mikasa and Armin that I'm okay. That they don't have to worriedly stick around. They're dead, so they should go and do... dead people like things."

Bertolt feels stupid for not putting it together earlier. It's not because they're dead that Eren is laughing. It's so that they can rest in peace. And they wouldn't have died if Bertolt hadn't... If Reiner hadn't... If Marley hadn't...

"Hey, do you still want to kill me?" Bertolt asks.

Eren rubs the back of his neck like this is a pain and refuses to meet Bertolt's eyes. Bertolt probably shouldn't have brought this up. But he needs to know the answer to this now in order to have peace.

If Eren really is coming with them across the ocean, Bertolt needs to know if he needs to watch out for a knife in the back.

"Well... It would be a lie to say I didn't think about it. But... your family's on the line, right? If you didn't knock down that wall and kill my mom and everyone else, you would have lost your family. And truth be told, if I was in your shoes, I would have done the same. I would have killed bunch of strangers for the sake of protecting my own."

... Huh? Eren is capable of human empathy? Since when? Or maybe he was always able to do so and chose not to? Or maybe Bertolt has never been on the receiving side of that empathy because he is the Colossal Titan? How much of Eren did Bertolt miss because of his guilt? Because of Eren's anger?

"And if you're worried about Armin, then... The reason why he died such a slow and painful death was because of me. If I had seen through his lie and taken his place... If I had gotten the serum to him... he wouldn't have suffered like that. So don't worry. I don't blame you for Armin's death."

What an overwhelming sense of relief he feels in his heart. Bertolt wonders if maybe this is why Reiner always seemed to think so highly of Eren. Because when Eren wants to be, he can be pretty cool.

Is that part of being of royal blood?

Because Historia was cool, too, when she stood on Utgard Castle walls and told Ymir to tear it down.

"Hey Eren..."

Bertolt tackles Eren into the water. Delighted laughter fills the air as Eren splashes Bertolt by flailing his limbs.

He wonders if it's okay to consider this to mean that he has been forgiven. That's probably too naïve, right?

*

"You're going to tell Ymir to go back to Historia, aren't you?" Bertolt asks lightly.

Eren flinches at the question and turns to Bertolt, his face flushing red. "W-w-what makes you say that?"

Pfft. How obvious. This honest nature of his is going to trouble him in Marley.

"I'll distract the other two. You pull Ymir over for that talk of yours."

Bertolt supposes this is the least he can do as the one who killed so many of Eren's precious people. So that those people can rest in peace, seeing Eren's laughing face.

It would be rather terrifying, after all, if they returned from death to drag Bertolt to hell for not doing this little.

* * *

Ymir takes a step back in time as Eren splashes them with a grin.

"You guys looked too dry," comes the cheeky taunt.

"Alright. You're going to get it!" Reiner jumps into the water, clearly making as big of a wave as he can.

Ugh. Overgrown children, every single one of them.

"Please, do excuse me for this," is the only warning Bertolt gives before he lifts Pieck up from behind and throws her into the water.

Faint "Bertolt you-" can be heard as Pieck goes underwater.

Reiner seems to realize that this might be important and rushes to help her out. Bertolt is a few steps behind.

Ymir whistles. "Didn't think he had the spine for something like that."

"And I thought you had a spine enough to do what you should," Eren says as he walks onto the shore. "Are you really satisfied with this? If you go across the ocean, you're forfeiting the remaining of 13 years that you have left."

"Since when did a mad dog like you care about other people?" Ymir asks, making sure to keep her voice as casual as she can.

"Historia did me a favor. So I'm returning it. For the next few minutes, the Warriors are going to be mighty busy in the water. What you decide to do is your own choice. But if you're going to throw your life away anyways, why not throw it at someone who will treasure it?"

Eren smirks at her like he's better than her. Then he runs back into the water without waiting to hear her answer.

Bastard.

*

It's a familiar road that she runs. She probably took a path like this when she first ate one of the Warriors for this shifting power. Back then and even now, she doesn't bother pausing to take in the sights.

But unlike last time, there's just one person on her mind.

To Historia's side, Ymir runs without rest.

* * *

"You what?!" the Marleyan Captain exclaims. Even though his veins are popping out in anger, he takes a moment to glance towards where Eren is. He takes a second to calm himself. And then returns to addressing the Warriors. "What the hell do you mean you 'lost' the Jaw Titan?"

"We went out for a walk, and she wasn't there when we returned," Eren offers with a careless shrug.

For a second, Eren thinks the Captain is going to snap at him. But it seems the fear of the Rumbling is greater than Eren realized. The Captain forces a smile on his face at Eren and turns to Zeke with a livid expression.

"You explain to the Commander."

Then the Captain turns back to Eren, that forced smile back on his face.

"Have you been given a tour of our ship yet, sir? I'll have my first mate schedule one."

This "king" business is turning out to be a lot more fun than Eren first thought it would be.

*

The room assigned to him is a decently sized place that looks much better than the storage room Ymir was in. Eren doesn't know if this is the standard or if he's been given something nice, though. From the satisfied expression on Zeke's face, Eren's going to assume that it's the latter.

"I wanted to talk to you about this earlier, but you were busy," Eren starts. "Why did you introduce me as the 'King of Eldia?'"

"As someone with royal blood and the Founding Titan, I believe that is an apt description of you, especially to the outside world. Did you not like it?" Zeke asks.

"Just startled more than anything. It seems... dishonest, you know? I'm not a king."

Zeke chuckles. "But if you were to wear a crown, there are plenty of people who will follow you."

And all of them died. Tragically. Violently. Without any reason or sense.

If there's a crown upon Eren's head, it would be to celebrate him as a fool who led so many people to their deaths for a pointless cause.

"There isn't much in choice of clothing, I'm afraid. But you are more than welcomed to any of the clothes here," Zeke says, changing the topic. "The shower room is a shared one with everyone. The Navy Captain requested that you give everyone a heads up an hour in advance so they can vacate the place for your personal use when you wish to shower. Any clothes you want us to wash, just leave it to the side. We'll take care of it."

Is that "we" as in Eldians or "we" as in everyone on the ship? Either way, Eren will prefer to do his own laundry. He left the broken vertical maneuvering equipment back at the forest to make sure that Marley won't get it. So all he has now is these bloodied and tattered clothes on his back and Mikasa's scarf. He won't be able to keep his clothes. Of that, he's sure. But he's going to fight to keep this scarf.

"I would prefer if you kept someone from the Warriors Division by your side always and not travel alone. But I won't force that on you. Although the Navy Captain said you are free to go anywhere on this ship, those words were to be polite and he didn't mean it. Always make sure of your surroundings, especially when with Marleyans. I believe that covers about everything. Do you have any questions?"

"Can I hang out on the deck? I want to watch the ocean a bit longer," Eren says.

Zeke nods with a soft smile. "Of course."

Eren figures that would be all, but Zeke hesitates. He gives Zeke a moment to collect himself and say it. But Zeke allows the silence to lengthen.

"Is something wrong?" Eren asks finally.

"Not... 'wrong.' But I... I was wondering if I may do something rude?"

"Depends on the rude thing," Eren says.

He quickly goes over what Zeke might be talking about. What possible rude thing could Zeke want to do? Yell at Eren? Scold him for losing Ymir? That's a possibility, right? As long as Zeke doesn't get physically violent with Eren, he doesn't really care.

"May I pat your head?"

H-huh? Eren is too shocked to properly able to say anything in response. He just nods awkwardly, trying to figure out if there's anything more to this than Zeke is letting on.

But Zeke's hand gently touches Eren's head. There's a soft smile on Zeke's face like this moment is somehow soothing him. Eren doesn't really get it, but since it's not hurting him or anything, he figures it's fine to let it be.

"Reiner and Bertolt kept ruffling your hair. So I wanted to try it," Zeke admits before taking his hand back. "Thanks for going along with my whim."

"I-it's fine. N-not like I hate it," Eren mumbles.

"Then may I do it more often?"

What's with this polite question? Most people just go for it without asking. It's making Eren wonder if he should be charging people for touching his head.

"You don't have to ask," Eren assures him. "I-I mean... we're brothers, right? S-so that's expected or whatever."

With a soft chuckle, Zeke ruffles Eren's hair.

"Like that?"

Eren nods, feeling embarrassed by the whole thing.

But it's a relief.

As long as Zeke doesn't realize that Eren isn't truly of royal blood, he won't realize that Eren can't use the Founding Titan without his help. Normalizing small physical interactions like this will help Eren later if it turns out that he needs to use that power for whatever reasons.

Why else would he allow this?

* * *

The message the Navy sent ahead only contained the words, "Recovered the Founding Titan."

Nothing on whether his Warriors are doing well. Nothing on the casualty count. Nothing on any sign of detail to prepare Theo Magath on exactly what will be coming back from that island.

The worst case scenario is that what's returning is a bunch of angry Paradisian Eldians with an army of Colossal-sized titans at their backs. Seeing that there hasn't been any sign of unusual seismic activity in the last few hours, Theo feels confident saying that it's not that one.

The best case scenario is that the holder of the Founding Titan is one of Theo's own. Preferably Marcel. That child is smart enough to obey Theo's orders without question. But because this is the best case scenario, Theo assumes this will never happen.

Then from there, Theo has a whole slew of possibilities of what might be returning.

Among those, the worst possible thing that might land on their harbor is an easily displeased Founding Titan shifter. If this person were to turn every Eldian into pure titans, that's the end. Even without the Rumbling, Liberio will be destroyed. He doubts the gates of the internment zone would hold against all those pure titans rushing for food.

Since that would be the worst thing possible for Liberio, Theo decides to prepare for this.

He lines the harbor with as many Marleyan soldiers as he can find. This is to minimize any Eldians at the harbor suddenly turning into pure titans and eating everyone in sight. He picks the older Warrior Candidates to come and leaves the children in the interment zone. It's not enough for Theo to feel comfortable, but this is probably the closest thing he's going to get to security.

If the Founding Titan shifter is someone young enough to naively follow the Warriors or old enough to be greedy for riches not found on that island, that would be for the best. Personally, Theo would prefer someone who lost their memory so that Theo can fill the gaps with his own agenda, but that's probably asking for too much.

Someone easy to control.

Please let it be someone easy to control.

And no matter what, please don't be someone who is smart.

Let it be someone who won't realize the noose Theo puts around their neck until said neck has snapped.

The ship pulls into the harbor.

*

The Marleyans get off the ship first. Then it's Theo's Warriors.

Reiner and Bertolt. Pieck. Zeke. Then a young teen Theo hasn't met before. Theo assumes this young teen is the holder of the Founding Titan.

He is of perhaps Porco's age. The first thing Theo notices about him is the bright red scarf around his neck. Is he cold? If he gets easily cold, it's possibly a defect. But can't the Founding Titan (titans shifters in general) heal things like that? Then is it supposed to be a fashion statement? The next thing Theo takes in is that this teen is dressed in Marleyan clothes without an armband. Did he get changed on the ship? And they didn't have an extra armband for him? The last thing Theo takes in is the bored green eyes that lazily scans the people gathered on the harbor.

Thus far, Theo can't get a read on the teen. That will have to wait until later.

Theo waits for two more of his Warriors to leave the ship, but there appears to be no one else. So Annie and Marcel both must have perished on that island. Theo closes his eyes and takes a second for the loss of two valuable weapons.

Then he gets ready to face the question mark that is the Founding Titan's shifter.

*

"Commander Magath, this is Eren Jaeger, the holder of the Founding Titan. He is the young King of Paradis," Zeke introduces. Then to the teen, Zeke adds, "Your majesty, this is Commander Magath of the Warriors Division."

The... the what? They kidnapped the king of Paradis? No, no. Theo isn't going to panic just yet. There isn't any sign of Colossal-sized titans coming their way. He's sure everything will make sense once the Warriors give their report.

"Greetings, your majesty," Theo says to test the waters.

Bored green eyes snap to Theo and gives him a once-over. Scoffing, he says, "Isn't your head much too high to be greeting a king?"

Tch.

"My mistake. It has been a while since I greeted royalty." With that as his excuse, Theo kneels before the brat of a king. "Greetings, your majesty."

"W-wait a minute, Commander! That's an Eldian!" Theo's second, Koslow, shouts in disbelief.

Idiot. Can't he hold in protests like that until this brat isn't here? What part of this child has the Founding Titan and can unleash bunch of pure titans on them did he not understand?

"Please excuse us for a second, your majesty," Theo manages.

He gives his second a look to shut him up. It takes Koslow a bit before he settles down. Seeing that, the rest of the Marleyan forces awkwardly kneels. With that taken care of, Theo returns his attention to the young king. Eren watches that exchange with a bored look on his face. Thus far, he seems like a typical spoiled brat from a royal family, which is relatively easy enough to deal with. All you do is show a bit of respect and they will be eating out of your hands in no time.

"It's an honor to meet you," Theo says as he straightens to face the young king at his full height. The rest of his forces follow his example.

"'An honor,' he says after sending assassins for my titan."

There's no real bite in those words. It looks like Eren is testing the waters as much as Theo is. The loser in this will be the one who backs down or is no longer about to say a counter. Of all the troublesome people, they just had to get someone like this, didn't they?

"Seeing that two of them aren't here and you still have your life, I believe you had more than enough compensation."

Eren laughs. "More than...? Commander, your sense of humor is quite terrible. You think two people are enough compensation for the mess your side caused? No, no. A fitting compensation is an eye for an eye. For every single person that died on my end, give me a Marleyan life to match."

Theo feels himself tensing in disbelief, but he forces himself to keep his expression neutral. The same, unfortunately, can't be said for Koslow.

"Don't be ridiculous! Why would we ever do something like that?"

Damn it. Why can't this idiot just stay quiet? Did years of staying behind Theo and watching Theo take care of diplomatic situations teach Koslow absolutely nothing?

Eren laughs. "That's what I said, too! Why the hell do I have to be satisfied with the death of bunch of strangers? Why do they get the easy way out when we suffered so much after losing so many? I'm so glad that you agree, because that makes this easier. Instead of the lives of Marleyans I could care less about, give me their left eyeballs."

Fucking...

"Organizing something like that will take a long while," Theo says quickly before Koslow makes this any worse. "Would you be willing to wait?"

"Well, if we're going to be waiting anyways, then I also want their right hands," Eren says.

The king smiles sweetly, awaiting Theo's move.

Damn this brat.

All the Warriors look uncomfortable but otherwise doesn't seem to mind this demand. They're already on the side of a so-called Eldian king? Ugh. This is why Theo hates Eldians. They're so damned fickle.

"That would make the wait even longer. Are you alright with that?" Theo asks.

"If it's going to take that long, we better get started right away."

With such brazen words, the young King of Paradis motions for Theo to go ahead with a devilish innocent grin. This damned brat... If Theo refuses, he will cause the Rumbling? Is that it? Or turn the Eldians in the interment zone into pure titans? Then what can Theo do? There has to be something to overturn this. There has to be something he can say to change this.

"This is ridiculous! Royalty or not, you can't just barge into someone's country and demand to blind and cut off a limb of their citizens!" Koslow snaps.

Theo closes his eyes. Whatever method there might have been to change this is most definitely not Koslow's words. If this guy keeps this up, would it anger the young king enough to cause the end of the world? Theo doesn't have enough information about this brat to be able to tell.

"Ridiculous? But you're the ones who barged into my kingdom and started killing people indiscriminately. Tell me, was it not your people who gave the order to your Warriors to steal my Founding Titan by whatever means? Was it not your people who dropped countless pure titans on my island as a way to seal our movement? If you can't stand retaliation, why did you provoke us in the first place?" the king asks.

Unlike before, Eren's voice isn't light-hearted nor filled with laughter. He's no longer testing the waters. He's pissed.

"Oh, right. You don't care about 'Eldian' life. Then why don't I break this down in terms that even you will understand? How much territory do you think we lost when your Warriors first broke our walls? The answer is a third of our lands. A third of our farmlands and business went up in flames just like that. And? In order to support those that were forced to evacuate and abandon their livelihood, how much money do you think we burned? Speaking strictly of economical setbacks, all the lives of Marleyans you offer nor their eye and hand combination will never be enough to repay us. But I'm saying that I'm willing to forgive that enormous debts you owe us for this little. You should be groveling at my feet at my mercy."

To be honest, no matter what they decide to agree on here, it's not going to hold any weight because Theo is a lowly Commander. That's why Theo prefers the thought of pushing it off so that at least someone with power can properly "compensate" this brat of a king. But if Koslow makes a big deal like Theo actually has power to decide something like this, it's going to cause Theo headaches down the line.

"The hell are you talking about? You think that little deserves compensation? What about the years of genocide that your kind inflicted on us? You should be groveling at our feet for our mercy of just killing a handful of your people!" Koslow yells, smirking like he won something.

Theo feels his temples throb in pain. Damn it. Damn it. At this rate, this young king is going to set everything ablaze. No matter how true Koslow's words are, to blatantly speak of it in front of this brat is idiotic beyond measure.

Then in order to quell a king's anger, there's just one thing that Theo can do.

Every member of the Warriors Division carry a dagger. For the Warriors, it's convenient way to help them transform. For the rest of them, it's mainly to get used to carrying a weapon. Theo personally doesn't used it over his pistol.

The dagger is too small to cut off a hand.

But it's the perfect size for blinding someone.

"C-Commander?" Koslow asks in confusion when Theo approaches him with the dagger.

"You heard the young king. The left eye of every Marleyan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Porco can count on one hand the number of times an Eldian was able to gain the upperhand when dealing with a Marleyan and have every single one of his fingers left over.
> 
> Until today.
> 
> Granted, this is the King of Paradisian Eldians, so his sway power is probably a lot more than a typical Eldian. But Porco has never seen anyone stand up to Marleyan like that and have the Marleyan actually move to obey the Eldian's command. Especially not from someone with power like Commander Magath.
> 
> It's so gratifying to watch, gorey as it is.
> 
> Koslow gives up screaming the minute the blade enters his left eye. He's softly whimpering like a dog on the ground, gripping his face in pain. Magath stands over him with his usual neutral expression like he didn't just stab someone in the eye under orders from an Eldian.
> 
> "His right hand, I'll have the doctors at the hospital remove. Would this suffice?" Magath asks the young king.
> 
> The anger in those green eyes haven't ebbed in the slightest, Porco notes giddily. Is he going to ask for more? Is he going to say that this isn't enough? That he won't be satisfied until a hand is removed right now?
> 
> "Would you look at that," the King drawls, lips drawn back into a snarl, "it doesn't take long at all to take out an eye. When's yours coming out, Commander?"
> 
> Magath's neutral expression doesn't falter. "All in due time, your majesty. Before that, I will like to get this man medical attention and hear the reports from my Warriors."
> 
> For a second, it looks as if the young King will refuse. Then his snarl eases into a lighthearted laughter.
> 
> "What a shame. I wanted to tease you for longer... Alright. Let's do it that way. I suppose you want to go to your headquarter to hear the report?"
> 
> Although Magath's expression doesn't change, Porco can't help but to feel like his commander just let out a small sigh of relief.
> 
> "Then please follow us."
> 
> Magath turns to one of the Marleyan soldiers and gives the command to take Koslow to the hospital. Then he begins to lead them back.
> 
> It's out of sheer curiosity that Porco glances back. Even though everyone around him is moving, the King seems rooted to the spot. Porco is about to make his way over when the King reaches over and grabs Reiner by the back of his shirt.
> 
> "I don't want to walk," the King says.
> 
> Reiner gives him a blank look like he doesn't know what to do. Porco feels exasperated. Isn't it obvious what the King wants? It's clearly-
> 
> "Eren, may I?" Bertolt asks.
> 
> Porco watches as Bertolt lifts the young King in his arms without much effort. It's only then that Reiner makes a small sound of understanding. Porco shakes his head at Reiner. That many years have passed and he's still at the bottom of the class.
> 
> Still, that's interesting.
> 
> A spoiled Eldian who can give commands to Marleyans, huh?
> 
> Marcel sure found a fun souvenir.
> 
> If Porco can just figure out where his brother is right now, he'll gladly give Marcel a pat on the back.


	6. Another place and time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Without a doubt, Theo needs to figure out what happened first. He is currently lacking too much information to be able to comfortably deal with this brat of a king.
> 
> But what worries him right now is how close Bertolt looks to Eren. If it turns out that in the five year gap, this king brainwashed Reiner and Bertolt... No. Theo shouldn't jump to conclusions without evidence. He spent a lot of money and resources to train these kids. They won't be so easily swayed.
> 
> Just in case, though, he should listen to the reports from his Warriors separately.
> 
> "Please make yourself comfortable," Theo tells the young king.
> 
> They're in Zeke's quarters, since Theo doesn't feel comfortable having bunch of Eldians in a fancier place. Bertolt places the young king on the couch with care. Is that sign that he's defecting? Is Theo reading too much into this?
> 
> "Reiner, you'll give the report first," he says.
> 
> "Commander, do excuse me, but would it be alright if I gave mine first?" Zeke asks. "There's something I would like to request of you, too."
> 
> That doesn't bode well.
> 
> Theo nods. "Alright. Then after Zeke, Reiner, you will give the report. Then Bertolt, and then Pieck for last. I'll make my decision after that. Any questions?"
> 
> "Got any refreshments while I wait?" Eren asks.
> 
> "I'll make you a cup of coffee," Zeke says.
> 
> "Don't worry about it. I got it," Pieck assures him.
> 
> Although it's said to Zeke, Theo gets the feeling she aimed it at him, too. Well, if there's anyone that Theo can trust, it's Pieck. As long as she wants to save her sickly dad, she will always stick with Marley.
> 
> "Alright Zeke," Theo says. "Let's go."
> 
> The two leave for his office. As soon as the door closes shut, Zeke begins his report without giving Theo the time to settle in.
> 
> "That child is my half-brother. The traitor Grisha Jaeger is his father. Because the other Warriors were there, I held off telling him anything about Grisha and what happened back then. But I wish to have your permission in telling him the truth."
> 
> That's why Zeke rushed to be the first to report. He will tell Eren the story of their father while the others tell Theo their reports, huh?
> 
> "Forbidden. If that child was raised by that traitor as you've said, then he would definitely refuse to listen to the truth. All that would do is alienate him further," Theo reasons.
> 
> Zeke nods seriously. "Understood, sir. Then I'll begin my report..."

He can't feel his legs.

The good news is that Eren isn't trembling, and it doesn't seem like anyone noticed that he's terrified. Because what the fuck? Who just stabs someone in the eye like that? If Eldians are supposed to be devils, then what is that man who didn't hesitate to knife someone in the face?

"Here you go," Pieck says, pouring Eren a cup of brown liquid.

It smells delicious. Zeke called it "coffee", but it's not like Eren has anything to compare it to. The tea that Levi used to make for him didn't smell anything like this. Judging purely by the smell, Eren thinks he's going to enjoy this drink.

He takes a sip.

And immediately grimaces.

Ugh. It's so bitter. Why doesn't it taste like it smells? This is deceit! Eren wants a refund!

"Pfft. Eren, have some sugar," Reiner says, handing over a plate of what looks to be sugar cubes.

"I-is that okay? Isn't it expensive?"

"This is a benefit of being a Warrior," Reiner tells him with a wink.

No wonder they fought so hard to become one.

Eren picks up a sugar cube and puts it in his drink. Bertolt hands him a small spoon to stir. While waiting for his drink to become less bitter by stirring, Eren takes a moment to glance around the room.

The room is a decently sized office that's probably used to greet guests. There's just one window in the room on the wall opposite of the door. A desk has been positioned by the window so that the person sitting would have their back facing the outside. There are two bookshelves on either walls adjacent to one with the window, both crammed filled with books in a language that Eren can't read. In the middle of the room is this couch area with two long couches, a loveseat, and two chairs around a low table.

It's just Eldians in here, judging by the armbands. Reiner, Bertolt, and Pieck are situated on the couch area with Eren. There are two others their age standing by the door. The armbands they wear are of a different color. Eren assumes it's because they don't have a shifting titan.

"So who are you two?" Eren asks the two.

"M-my name is Colt Grice, sir! I am a Warrior Candidate," one of them answers. He holds one hand up as if to pledge something. Eren assumes it's the Marleyan salute.

Huh? Wait. Eren feels like his name is really familiar. Where have he heard the name "Colt Grice" before?

"Porco Galliard," the other one says with the same one hand up motion. "I'm also a Warrior Candidate."

"Feel free to relax," Eren tells them with a wave of his hand.

He takes a sip of the coffee. It's considerably much less bitter now. But the plate of sugar cubes seem like a waste to just leave it alone... Maybe he should take two? One more for his coffee and the other... Just because. Since he's "King," that much should be ok, right?

Colt sits in one of the chairs stiffly. Porco sits down on the couch that Reiner is on, leaving a rather large space between the two of them. Pieck offers them both coffee. Eren notes that no one here reaches for the sugar cubes.

"If the sugar cube is a benefit, then how come none of you put it in your drink?" Eren asks.

Reiner chuckles. "Because real men drink their coffee black."

Eren scowls. He picks up one of the sugar cubes and throws it in Reiner's drink. It actually lands perfectly in Reiner's cup, splashing just a tad on the table.

"H-hey! Eren, don't be mean!" Reiner exclaims.

Bertolt gives Reiner his cup and takes the one with the sugar cube. Eren glowers at him, but Bertolt smiles pleasantly.

"So is this it, in terms of the Warriors Division? It's smaller than a single squad of the Survey Corps," Eren says to change the topic at hand.

"There are four more Warrior Candidates, sir," Colt says.

His voice is so stiff. In fact, his entire posture is, too. It makes Eren's muscles sore just looking at him.

"Four more, huh? So where are... Ah! I remember! Grice!" Eren snaps his fingers. "You were..."

Except wait. No. That makes no sense. The Grice that Eren saw in Grisha's memory was killed and eaten by titans. Then what's this guy? Did he miraculously survive the attack, swim across the ocean, and age backwards? That's farfetched, so he must be that guy's kid? 

"I... er... W-what about me, sir?" Colt asks slowly.

Eren probably shouldn't say anything about it. This guy already looks on edge as it is. No need to make him even more nervous.

"No. I remembered wrong."

An awkward silence settles in the room. Eren's sure that he's not the only one who feels that it's awkward, because of the uneasy expressions on everyone's faces.

"So where are Marcel and Annie?" Porco asks.

Both Reiner and Bertolt tense. Eren feels like that's answer enough, but Pieck must not think so.

"Pock, you know it's forbidden for us to talk about the mission until Commander Magath clears us," she says.

Really? Is that why Zeke couldn't talk about their family? All because someone outside of their family circumstances decided for them that they mustn't? Eren knows that the situation with the Survey Corps was special since it was unusual for someone at the top to share all currently available information with everyone as long as it didn't impact the current mission. But he can't help but to feel disappointed by Marley anyhow.

"Don't call me Pock," Porco grumbles. "But you can't even say something simple like they're dead?"

"They're-"

Bertolt stops Eren from saying anything more. "It's best we leave it to Commander Magath to decide what we're allowed to tell."

It doesn't bode well with Eren. But he supposes as the outsider, he shouldn't needle too much into their business. Besides, he doesn't even know who this "Marcel" person is.

"You're not quite what I imagined of a king," Porco says, probably to change the topic.

The words "That's because I'm not" almost leaves Eren's mouth. He barely manages to stop himself by taking a sip of his coffee.

"Maybe you have shit imagination," Eren manages out instead.

"No, Eren. As far as kings go, you're definitely an outlier," Reiner assures him. "What kind of a king throws a sugar cube in other people's coffee?"

Eren can't help but to laugh at that. "What's that, Reiner? You want two cubes in that new cup?"

Reiner immediately covers his coffee cup with his hand. Eren gives him his most charming snarl.

"He doesn't treat you like a king either," Porco adds.

"That's because he's an ass," Eren grumbles.

Oddly enough, Porco looks mollified by that. It makes Eren rather curious as to what Reiner was like as a child.

"O-oh! How did you find our Commander?" Pieck asks Eren with an easy smile.

She's changing the subject on purpose. Well, it's not like Eren particularly cares about this line of discussion anyways.

"I see why he's a commander."

But he doesn't elaborate on the topic.

* * *

Damn.

He fucked up.

This is why he wanted to have more information and time before he dealt with that brat of a king. The more Theo hears of the reports, the clearer it becomes that the one who holds the card is Theo and not that king.

"He ran away?" Theo asks Pieck in disbelief.

She nods. "I don't know exactly what happened since he didn't talk of it. But he was being tortured by their side. We offered him sanctuary and brought him here."

And on top of that, he can only activate the Founding Titan's power by overruling King Fritz's will. In that situation where Koslow was pushing him into a corner, would he have been able to cause the Rumbling? Theo's gut reaction is to say no, of course not. That damned brat played him. But in the same breath, he doesn't know that for sure. With how angry Eren was getting, it is possible that his anger would overrule a vow of peace, isn't it? Just as Eren overruled it in order to set pure titans on Reiner and Bertolt. Thought of it like that, Theo made the right call.

"There's one more thing, sir," she continues.

Of course, there is.

"I'm sure Reiner already brought this up to you. But he theorized that the longer other shifters stay near Eren, the more likely we won't be able to refuse him. A sway of the Founding Titan of sorts."

Theo sighs. "Yes, he brought it up."

The examples Reiner gave were vague and could be chalked up to natural development of friendship. But Theo's Warriors are not wide-eyed children that went on a picnic. They knew the weight of the mission on their shoulders. They know what would happen to their families if they failed. The fact that they faltered due to the influence of the Founding Titan is important.

"I've made my decision."

*

Typically, Theo would have the Eldians travel to him. But if Reiner's correct that the shifters shouldn't stay long near the Founding Titan, then Theo wants to minimize how long Bertolt has to hold that brat of a king.

"Keep the detail of everything that happened on that island a secret," Theo orders. Then to the king, he adds, "Please."

He sees Porco scowl in annoyance. But Theo needs more time to go through the reports and determine what is okay to share to the public. Instead of giving a willy-nilly answer now, he'd rather be thorough.

"Unfortunately, we weren't prepared to greet royalty. So we don't have a grand enough place prepared for you. Until we prepare something, would it be alright if-"

"I'm staying with Zeke," comes the sharp retort.

Like hell.

Theo shakes his head, keeping his face as neutral as he can. "Unfortunately, that won't be possible. Since the events of everything on that island is being kept a secret, I'm sure you understand. In fact, if you can refrain from sharing your name, I'd appreciate it."

Now he needs to think. Who can he leave this brat with for a day while he gets a hotel ready? All of the Warriors are out. He can't rely on the children. They're too young and impressionable. That leaves him with the unfortunate choices of Colt Grice and Porco Galliard.

The Grice family had a traitor that was arrested along with Grisha Jaeger. They claimed the rest of the family were dedicated to Marleyan cause and offered their two sons to join the Warriors Division. Although both Colt and Falco seem sincere in their loyalty to Marley, Theo can't say the same for the rest of the family. The likelihood that they'll change their tune the minute someone of royal blood walks in is too high for Theo to risk.

That leaves the Galliards.

Marcel was a smart kid. It's a shame that Porco doesn't have that level of brains, but he's at least honest. If there's a sign that he's siding with Eren, Theo will be able to tell right away. Besides, it's just a day. And Porco isn't a shifter. This should be okay.

"Galliard, you will be in charge of making sure that the young king is comfortable."

* * *

Bertolt immediately goes to lift Eren up in his arms the minute it becomes clear that they're to leave the headquarter. It's embarrassing as hell. But Eren doesn't know how to wave it off without admitting that he had been frightened earlier. So for now, he keeps his mouth shut.

The walk from the headquarter to the interment zone takes barely two minutes. In that short walk, Eren observes the comfortable living of Marleyans with technology and comforts that he isn't familiar with. Eren wants to ask, but because of the brisk pace they're keeping, he doesn't think he's supposed to talk. He'll probably have to ask someone later.

"Another wall, huh?"

The gates of the interment zone looms before them, along with a long line of walls that divides Eldians and Marleyans. Even from this distance, Eren can see the quality of life differences between the inside of the zone and the outside. It'll become clearer once they go in, right? Just how terribly Eldians are treated outside of the world.

When the gates open, Eren hears it.

"Let's go, Faye!" a voice that sounds so familiar yet not rings in his head.

He's dragging a young girl behind himself. Her eyes are filled with fear as she tries to resist.

"But mom said we couldn't go past the walls..." she says.

Eren feels the confident grin on his face. He feels with certainty that this is the right thing to do.

"It's fine. It'll only be for a minute!"

An angry adult yells behind them as they run out the interment zone.

And just as suddenly, Eren is back in present. That was his dad, wasn't it? His dad when he was younger? Then who was that girl with him? Faye? Did his dad have a little sister?

"It seems our lives are dictated by walls," Bertolt says softly.

Eren glances up at Bertolt's face. Bertolt's eyes are set on the opening gates as if he didn't just speak. Did he want Eren to hear him?

"You know, this wall isn't that high. Even I can knock it down, don't you think?" Eren asks.

A small gasping sound catches Eren's attention. When he turns to look, Colt gives him the most devastated look. Colt quickly averts his gaze so that they don't hold their gaze.

Eren gets an inkling of a feeling he might have traumatized that guy even more.

Ah, whatever. It's not his problem. He already has his hands full with Grisha's memories and dealing with Magath. He's not going to make that guy his business as well.

Whatever it is that his mission is, he hopes that he can get it over with soon.

* * *

Gabi straightens her back at the sight of the gates opening.

There they are! The heroes are returning after five years! Among those heroes should be her cousin: Reiner Braun.

She doesn't remember him, to be honest. But Aunt Karina said that Reiner is a hero, and Aunt Karina would never lie to her. He has to be someone amazing. Someone who can match even Helos. Zofia once asked her how she knows that, and there's just one answer:

Because she does.

Call it intuition. But there's nothing more obvious in the world than this.

"Oh, there he is," Aunt Karina whispers.

Gabi cranes her neck to see. There's so many tall people here. It's getting in the way of her being able to see!

"Listen well," comes the voice of Commander Magath.

Huh? What's he doing in the interment zone?

"This is the King of Eldia. If I hear even a peep that any of you mistreated him, I will have you and your family killed."

Gabi ducks under the legs of the people in front so she can get closer to see. There. She finally sees them. Magath with the heroes and...

"No need for something like that, Commander," says a young teen. He's being carried by a tall soldier with the armband marking him a Warrior (Is this Bertolt?). He turns to the crowd with a pleasant smile. "Go on with your life as you normally do."

A King? That teen? But he doesn't have a crown or look all that regal. Is he really a King? What kind of a King is carried around anyways? Oh, is it because there's no carriage? Because royal feet isn't supposed to touch the dirty ground? That's actually pretty cool.

"King of Eldia, my ass. After abandoning us, he has the nerve to march in here?"

Gabi glances up at the looks of distrust and anger on the adults' faces. This King, she concludes, must be bad news.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you," Commander Magath tells the Warriors Division. He leaves.

And now...

"Reiner!" Gabi yells, running for her cousin.

The tall and muscular blonde turns towards her in question. Does he not recognize her? Well, it has been five years. And she wouldn't know who Reiner was if it wasn't for the fact that he's the only blonde she doesn't recognize.

"You were with child?" the King asks Reiner.

Reiner stammers and looks to Gabi frantically. Then it must have sunk in. Snapping his fingers, he exclaims, "Gabi? Is that you?"

"That's me!" Gabi says brightly, posing dramatically.

With a soft smile, Reiner turns to the King. "Eren, this is Gabi, my cousin."

The King stares at Gabi for a second and then motions to be put down on the ground. He makes a shooing motion at Reiner and Gabi. Then at Bertolt.

"Go talk to your families."

So far, Gabi doesn't think this King is too bad.

*

"Where's Annie?! Reiner, Bertolt! Where did you leave my poor daughter? I bet you killed her, didn't you? Couldn't stomach that she was better than you two, could you?"

The impression Gabi always had of Mr. Leonhart is that he's quiet and keeps to himself. But it seems that that demeanor of his can break when it comes to his daughter.

"Give me my daughter back, you murderers!"

Reiner doesn't say anything to protect himself. He hangs his head and allows Mr. Leonhart to continue yelling. Next to Reiner, the tall soldier that used to hold the King (looks like this is that sharp-shooting genius Bertolt that Gabi heard so much about) pales and also hangs his head. From their reactions, it's obvious even to Gabi that this Annie must be-

"I can't stomach this."

It's not until the King stands before Mr. Leonhart that Gabi realizes just how small he is. Both Bertolt and Reiner with their heads bowed tower over the King substantially. And this small teen stands against Mr. Leonhart to fight when neither giants will.

"Isn't your flow of logic flawed? Annie is stronger than these two and therefore, she was killed by them? How does that even make sense? For your information, Annie is on the island. Think of it like a hostage exchange. I'm here, and in return, she's there."

"E-Eren, you're not supposed to talk about that," Bertolt says.

The King shakes his head in refusal. "It was a plea not an order. Why shall I stay silent when a fool is barking false accusations?"

Mr. Leonhart's expressions are easy to read, even for Gabi. First, it's disbelief and anger. Then it's slow realization. And finally...

"I-is she being treated well there? Does she miss her dad?"

The King's lips twitch into an annoyed scowl. "How 'well' do you normally treat someone who invade your lands to kill your people?"

Annie is a Warrior. Like the other Warriors, she was sent to be a hero. What's this King on about? Invade? Kill? Heroes don't do that. And if they do, it's because it was necessary. Seeing that this King is from the island of devils, it makes perfect sense that Annie will eliminate the devils. Why is this King getting so offended for what he deserved?

"Y-you... M-my daughter...!" Mr. Leonhart's face crumples, looking a second away from tears.

The King's expression goes blank. Then he lets out a small sigh as if he's disappointed by something.

"Annie's fine. She's being attended to by the most attentive group of people for any sign of discomfort. As her father, why don't you stop shaming her and cease this foolishness?"

Mr. Leonhart nods shakily and slowly steps back.

"Wait. You accused these two of being murderers. Isn't it manners to apologize?"

"I-it's fine, Eren," Reiner says. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Leo-"

"It isn't fine, Reiner. As a man, what kind of lesson is he teaching the little ones if he doesn't apologize when he's in the wrong?" Karina asks.

Mr. Leonhart's lips pull into a firm frown. But he doesn't retreat anymore. He says his apologies to Bertolt and Reiner. Then he leaves.

"Good riddance. No matter how proud you are, you need to be able to admit to your faults. Don't you agree, Reiner?" Aunt Karina says, giving Reiner a sweet smile.

"M-mom. I... O-oh, this is Eren. He's the King of Paradis. E-Eren, this is my mom."

The King nods. "I'll let you have your time."

"Your majesty, do you have a place to stay? I-"

"Please do excuse me. It looks like War Chief needs my attention," the King says, interrupting Karina.

Karina smiles and lets him go. Then she turns to Reiner.

"Welcome home, my little hero."

Gabi throws her arms around Reiner. "Welcome home, Reiner!"

* * *

"Is everything alright?" Eren asks Zeke.

"It is," Zeke assures him. Then he motions to the two elderly couple behind him. "This is my grandma and grandpa. Grandma, Grandpa, this is Eren."

The two nervously greet Eren with stiff smiles. For just a second their forms are overlapped with younger versions of them, smiling much warmer and more naturally. Grisha's parents, Eren realizes. His grandparents.

His throat feels tight. The grandparents that he grew up with (Carla's parents) passed away before he met Armin and Mikasa. His memory of them are brief and few. So he didn't think he'd feel this emotional meeting Grisha's parents.

"H-hello," Eren tells them.

Then he falters because what else is there to say? He isn't Grisha. He doesn't know these two aside from what Zeke has said and the feelings of regret Grisha holds. Even if he acts overly familiar, that's just going to make everyone uncomfortable.

"W-we uh... we're planning on having seafood pasta for dinner. I-it's not exactly a fancy meal as I'm sure you're used to. But... we would be honored if you could join us," Grandma says.

"I've never had seafood pasta before," Eren says. "I'd love to."

"Please do excuse me. But Commander Magath said that I have to watch over the King. May I invite myself over for a meal?" Porco asks.

Zeke stiffens, but Grandpa excitedly agrees.

"It's been a while since you came over, Porco!"

"Does he come over often?" Eren asks.

Grandpa nods with a smile. "All the time. We keep telling him to be careful, but he'd go out and get himself into all sorts of trouble!"

"P-please don't talk about that!" Porco exclaims.

If Eren had ended up growing up here, would he have also been a trouble-magnet, too? Would he have also been on the receiving end of that proud smile on Grandpa's face as he talks about Porco? Would he also wear that armband proudly while bragging about killing bunch of "devils?"

Zeke gives his shoulder a small squeeze. "It's not much, but let's spend some time together."

"Oh, right. Sir, would you like me to carry you?" Porco offers, putting his arms out in front of himself as if to mimic the movement of carrying someone.

Although Eren hates the fact that this seems to quickly becoming the norm, he's really glad that Porco asked instead of assuming Eren needed to be carried.

"No need. I have legs."

*

The heart of the interment zone seems to be the town square, surrounded immediately by the marketplace. Further out are all the living quarters. Since the Jaeger Clinic doubles as a clinic as well as a living quarter, it's situated right at the border of the end of the marketplace.

It looks like the first floor is where the clinic area and the kitchen is, and the upper floors are for the Jaeger family. There are two patients when Eren walks in. In the kitchen, there's a small bulletin board with notes and a few photos. Although Eren saw a "photo" before in Grisha's memory, it's a completely different thing to see one for himself.

"Are you curious about them?" Zeke asks, leaning over to see the photos with Eren.

"More about these pictures in general," Eren says. He touches the glossy surface of one and quickly pulls his hand back. "I-it feels so weird. It's definitely not sketched."

"They don't have photographs on Paradis?" Porco asks. He joins them by the bulletin board, craning his neck to see what they're looking at.

"Photographs, huh?"

Grandpa chuckles at the sight of them gathered together. "It's taken with a machine called a camera, your majesty. It used to be much harder to get a hold of in the past, so there aren't as many photos of Zeke when he was little as we would like. But it's become more common."

The glossy papered photographs indeed picture Zeke and his grandparents. There's a few of when Zeke is younger, too. Eren notes that the photo that he remembers seeing of a family of three isn't here. Although Zeke is photographed, his parents are nowhere to be seen in these.

A photo of a smiling girl catches Eren's eyes. He saw her briefly on the way in the interment zone. What was it now? Grisha called her...

"Faye."

He hear something clatter behind him. Eren turns to look.

The room that they're in is different now. He's leaning against the wall, watching as the Marleyan officer he's long come to call partner informs the Eldian family of three of the discovery of their daughter's mangled corpse. The mother is busily wiping her tears. The father has a stricken smile on his face as he bows his head, thanking the officer that tortured and killed his daughter. The son sits with his eyes filled with infinite rage and despair.

Eren recognizes that look. The inferno of hatred burns in his own heart, too. How can it not as he watched, from the safety of the closet, his own parents burned to a crisp?

Huh?

No. Wait. That's not his memory.

The feeling of all-consuming rage is the same, but the one on the receiving end of this hate is different.

"C-could it be...?" Grandpa whispers.

It snaps Eren out of his thoughts and return to present. Grandma has dropped an apple on the ground. Instead of picking it up, she's staring at Eren in wide-eyed disbelief. Grandpa has a similar expression on his face as he stares at Eren. Zeke's expression is guarded. Porco looks confused as he looks at everyone else.

It's only then that Eren realize he must have said the name out loud. Right. He shouldn't know that name. He messed up.

Sorry Magath. This is out of Eren's hands.

"A-as the King of Eldia, can you... do you know us?" Grandpa asks.

It's odd. In stories, family members recognize one another even though they've never met before. Something-something family bonds magically lets you find one another, no matter the distance. Maybe, just a bit, Eren wanted that kind of magic to work with his grandparents like it did with Zeke. There's a heavy stone of disappointment that drops into his stomach.

"Porco, we didn't plan for having extra people over for dinner. Do you mind picking up some extra seafood and maybe something sweet for dessert?" Zeke asks, pulling Porco to the side.

"Sir, I was tasked with-"

Zeke gives him a patient smile. "What do you think will happen in the short time while you're running an errand for me? I'll make sure the King is happy."

Porco glances at Eren as if asking for permission. Eren gives him a small smile and a nod. With a sigh, Porco turns back to Zeke and nods.

"Understood, sir."

* * *

He was kicked out.

There's a small part of Porco that wants to eavesdrop. What could be so secretive that they have to remove him from the conversation? And if it's that much of a secret, then why is it okay that Zeke's grandparents are there? And who the hell is Faye?

But the thought of being discovered while eavesdropping makes him reluctant to even try.

He doesn't want the young King to think of him as a snitch. Not to mention Zeke is terrifying when he's angry.

Reluctant as he is, he makes his way out to the market.

*

"Oh, Porco," Colt greets. "I thought you'd be watching over the King."

"War Chief is watching over him," Porco explains.

Colt nods. "That's nice of him to give you some time to rest."

Is that how it looks? Is that how Porco should be feeling? Because Porco's feelings are a bit of a mess right now.

"Hey, what are your thoughts about the King?" Porco asks.

"He... Frankly, he scares me," Colt says. "I don't think anyone who can so easily demand people's body parts or their lives as payment should have power."

Perhaps it's because Colt is a good person and Porco is a piece of shit that their opinion differs so much. That isn't to say that he believes those in power should always demand body parts or people's lives as payment. But how is that any different from what Marley normally demands from them? "Obey without question and your family will not be turned into pure titans." That's pretty much the same thing that the King demanded from Marley.

Except this time, it's an Eldian that made the demand.

"You didn't find it cool? When he stood against Mr. Leonhart and put him in place. I thought he looked kingly."

Colt looks uncomfortable. "Maybe it's the way he phrases things? I... find him scary."

*

When Porco returns to the Jaeger Clinic, it seems that whatever they needed to say have all been said. There's a sense of familiarity that wasn't there before. Porco can't quite put his finger on it.

"I'm shocked, though," he admits to the King when they're eating dinner. "Since you're from an island, I figured you'd mainly eat fish and seafood."

"We're located in the inner part of the island. We do have streams to get fish from, but I've never had anything like this. It's very delicious. You said that this is...?"

"Clam," Zeke supplies.

The King thanks him. "And for a while, we had a food shortage, so it was hard to get anything to eat that wasn't watery soup and stale bread."

If that's what they managed to feed their King, Porco fears what the normal people ate.

"Well, we have a lot, so please eat as much as you'd like!" Zeke's grandma says.

*

The King shocks Porco by deciding to take his leave soon after dinner. Yes, it's in part because Porco was looking forward to the dessert. But it's also in part because of how close they all seemed, Porco thought the King would be reluctant to leave.

"Get back safely," Zeke's grandma says.

"Porco, please take good care of our majesty," Zeke's grandpa tells him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you?" Zeke asks.

The King gives them a thankful smile. "We'll be fine. Thank you."

Then they're off.

*

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" Porco asks as the two make their way to his place.

"I'm fine," the King tells him firmly.

Porco doesn't think it's because he's not being trusted that the King doesn't want to be carried by him. But it still doesn't sit well with him that he's being so easily dismissed.

"You could've stayed longer," Porco says.

"It was getting too frustrating to stay," comes the soft answer.

Porco pauses in walking to look at the King. Seeing him stop, the King also pauses to look at him curiously.

"Frustrated by the Jaegers?"

The King lets out a soft sound that might be him laughing. "Yes. Isn't that rude of me? They invited me into their home and shared a warm meal with me. But it started to get grating."

"May I ask why?"

"Back within the three walls, I dreamt of the outside world. Of the adventures that must be waiting out there. Of the freedom promised over the walls. But now that I'm here, I... I feel terribly disappointed. Even though they're outside of those three walls, everyone here lives with their heads bowed. Even though they have the freedom that I've been so desperately seeking, they'd rather live licking boots than to reach for that freedom."

"That's because the freedom you dreamt of doesn't exist for us," Porco tells him. "It's not that we'd rather live licking boots; it's that we have no choice. If we don't, our families will be killed. As long as the rest of the world points to us and holds us responsible for the sins of long ago, we will never have freedom."

The King sighs. "Our enemy is the world, huh?"

Something about those soft words resonate with Porco. The two don't talk more about the subject, but Porco keeps turning it over in his head. What about those words speak to him? What about it is special?

It's not until he's opening the door to his home that it finally sinks in.

The King said " _our_ enemy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Magath, explain yourself," comes the seething anger of the Marleyan top command.
> 
> They're all gathered in Koslow's hospital room, glaring at Theo in clear accusation. Theo has no doubts that they've all been filled in, at least in regards to what happened at the harbor and the arrival of the King of Paradis. But they dare to look at him like he's the vermin.
> 
> "The Warriors brought back the Founding Titan. Unfortunately, it's currently in use by a brat of a king who makes ridiculous demands."
> 
> "Your Warriors should have taken the Founding Titan from that king!" snaps Calvi.
> 
> Theo wishes they could do that.
> 
> "If they do, the powers of the Founding Titan won't work. Only those with royal blood can use it."
> 
> A Commander scowls. "Do you know that for a fact?"
> 
> "Let me finish first. There's another condition. Even if one with royal blood takes on the titan, King Fritz's will can prevent the shifter from using the Founding Titan's ability."
> 
> "Then isn't that the same as saying that the Founding Titan is useless?"
> 
> "That's what it would normally mean, yes," Theo agrees. "But unfortunately, the current king apparently can override King Fritz's will. In other words, if he isn't on our side, we could potentially have the Rumbling on our hands."
> 
> There's a tense silence.
> 
> Then one of the Commanders say, "Or we can think of this as a chance to get rid of all Eldians in the world."
> 
> The others look way too interested in that. Don't they realize that Marley's military structure rely heavily on Eldian titans?
> 
> "That's right. This is our chance. If this King doesn't want to work for us, then it's fine. Once he's gone, there won't be any fear of the Rumbling. We can get rid of all the Eldians in the world without any fear!"
> 
> And then what are they planning on doing when the rest of the world turns to them with their weapons that Marley won't be able to match due to their long reliance on Eldian powers?
> 
> "Since you're the Eldian expert, we'll leave it to you," Calvi declares. "Whether we'll have the power of the Founding Titan under our control or we'll get rid of all the Eldians in the world. You figure out which would be the most beneficial for us."
> 
> So that was their plan.
> 
> From the beginning, they were going to push all responsibility and thinking on Theo. Then they'll congratulate themselves with a drink at the bar, thinking themselves so clever for a victory won by others' powers and abilities.
> 
> Theo isn't going to receive any form of help from these idiots.
> 
> Maybe he should just provoke the young king into activating the Rumbling and destroying the world. It'll do about as much damage as letting these dumbasses run the military.


	7. Without a great divide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: The most amazing [Alice_BrokenWonderland143](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_BrokenWonderland143) created a [fanart](https://twitter.com/q21_yumeno/status/1363466736025051137) for this story! Please check it out and shower them with love! Eren looks so regal in the ocean while saluting~ And the colors~ It's a feast for the eyes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And? Were you of use to Marley?"
> 
> Bertolt finds himself frozen. He doesn't get why. Of course, this is the first question he gets asked by his family. Why is he so shocked? From the beginning, wasn't this all that his family cared about?
> 
> "Y-yes," he finds himself stammering.
> 
> "Good."
> 
> No "how are you?" No "have you been well?" No "We missed you."
> 
> That's right.
> 
> This is how his family has always been. When did he convince himself otherwise? Did Annie's conviction of wanting to go home delude him? Did watching everyone in Paradis with their families and friends trick him into believing that he'll ever be anything more than a weapon? Did seeing Reiner's mom and Gabi with happy smiles turn him brain dead?
> 
> "This King of Paradis... Is he of value to Marley?"
> 
> Is that question hard to answer because it's about Eren? Or is it hard to answer because it's not the question Bertolt wanted his parents to ask him as soon as he returned from his five year mission?
> 
> When did he become so dissatisfied with this?
> 
> "He is," Bertolt says. "Of all the Eldians in the world, he is the most valuable."
> 
> "Then you must make yourself valuable to him."
> 
> Bertolt feels like he's drowning on land. No matter how he gasps to breath, it won't be air but water he takes into his lungs. He can try to climb up as much as he wants, but he will never be able to break through the surface. How can he? He's on dry land.
> 
> He should have let Eren kill him. He should have insisted on it. Why the hell did he want to come back home so badly for? He should have stayed on that island with Annie. He shouldn't have returned.
> 
> How is it that he craves returning to that place that labeled him a traitor over being home as a tool for Marley?

"E-Eren!" Bertolt greets when Eren and Porco walks into Porco's home.

Or at least he thinks this is Porco's home. He assumed it was, because Porco led him here and opened the door. Do they live together or something?

"The hell are you doing in my house?" Porco demands, scowling at Bertolt.

Okay. Good to know. Bertolt isn't supposed to be here.

Bertolt blinks as if he didn't expect such an obvious question. Then he ducks his head sheepishly as if that's supposed to be an apology of sorts. Eren feels his patience thinning.

"C-clothes. I-I figured you'd need clothes."

With that, Bertolt hurries into the living room and returns with a bag of what Eren assumes are clothes. What the hell is he supposed to make out from this? On one hand, yes, he does need clothes. But why is Bertolt going out of his way like this for? It's making Eren really uncomfortable.

"Do you even have clothes to wear? You weren't home for five years," Eren asks.

Bertolt freezes as if he didn't think of that.

Porco lets out a low groan. "This damned idiot..."

Eren agrees.

*

"... You seriously don't think I can fit into these, do you?" Eren asks, trying hard not to lose his temper.

Bertolt frowns. "I could have sworn you were smaller."

"How small do you think I am?" Eren snaps. He throws the clothes back in the bag and shoves it at Bertolt. "What are these clothes anyways? They look like uniform of some sorts."

"It's my Warrior uniform from when I was a kid," Bertolt says with a shy dip of the head.

Eren doesn't know how he manages to keep himself from smacking this guy. Porco left earlier to talk to his parents in the kitchen and left the two of them in the living room. Eren wonders when he'll return so that Eren doesn't have to face this alone... Actually, now that he thinks about it, isn't it possible that Porco left to give them privacy?

Shit. How does Eren call him back?

"Again, do you even have a Warrior uniform that's going to fit you now?"

Bertolt laughs sheepishly as if that's supposed to be an answer. Eren doesn't get this guy.

"What are you doing?" Eren asks him.

"I'm... not sure I follow?" Bertolt says, tilting his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are you doing here? You're finally home after... what? Five years? Shouldn't you be happily telling your folks about the awful devils on that island and how you were tormented? Shouldn't you be having a party to celebrate your return? Why aren't you doing any of that and instead spending time with me? What are you doing?"

Bertolt opens his mouth as if to retort but no words come out. He quickly shuts his mouth and looks down at his lap, looking like a child who has been rebuked. It's almost enough for Eren to feel guilty.

Except wait. Why the hell does he have to feel guilty?

"Look, I appreciate you looking out for me. But it's weird as hell. Stop."

No answer again from this guy. Eren sighs.

"If you're done, you should probably not take up any more of the Galliards' time."

Slowly, Bertolt begins to nod. Then he must have thought of something, because he says, "I... don't think they'd mind."

"This isn't your house," Eren reminds him. "It's not mine either. You can't make that decision for them. Go home, Bertolt. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"Eren, what is 'home' to you?"

It looks like Bertolt has absolutely no plans on leaving. He's just going to drag this on by talking, isn't he? Apologizing mentally to the Galliards, Eren leans back against the couch and makes himself comfortable.

"It was Shiganshina. But for a while, I considered the 104th my home. Armin and Mikasa, too. They felt like home."

"What does that feel like? Do you feel comfortable? Do you feel like you can trust everyone? I... I don't think I've ever felt that. Not here, not with the Warriors Division. I almost felt that with the 104th. But every time I felt maybe it's okay for me to be there, I saw you. I remembered your story of how your mom was eaten. I felt nothing but guilt."

He's going to blame that on Eren? Even though he's the one who knocked down the wall and killed all those people? He's going to say that it's Eren's fault that he didn't feel comfortable? This bastard sure is full of himself today, isn't he?

"Do you think it's better to have had a home that you lost or to have never had somewhere to call home?" Bertolt asks that with a soft smile on his face like he isn't expecting an answer.

"It's better to never had a home," Eren says, just to spite Bertolt. "So that you never have to suffer losing your home again and again and again."

Bertolt nods like he understands. "But that means that you know how to make a 'home' again and again."

Damn. Eren didn't think about that. Make a "home" again? But that was only possible because Armin and Mikasa were with him. Without them, is it really possible for him to do that?

"Will you help me?" Bertolt asks.

"Help with what?" Eren demands. He doesn't know why, but he feels himself tensing as if to get ready to run away or fight. He's not sure which will suit this current situation.

"Find a home."

It echoes in Eren's head. The desperate plea Bertolt made to the 104th. "Someone find us." Although phrased differently, they are the same, aren't they? To find oneself would inadvertently lead to finding a place you can call home. Likewise, in order to find a home, you'd have to know who you are first.

Damn this guy, demanding such an impossible task from the one he robbed everything from.

"Is that supposed to be an order?" Eren snarls.

"No. It's a request. From one of your many subjects, your majesty."

It sounds mocking from Bertolt's mouth. But Bertolt looks to Eren like he is sincere.

Eren can't trust it for a second.

To be honest, he can't recall trusting anyone here.

"If you're done, go home. You're making the Galliards uncomfortable," Eren tells him.

For a second, Eren fears that Bertolt will point out that Eren is the one uncomfortable. But he doesn't. Instead, he gives a soft smile and a nod before taking his leave.

* * *

"I have some of my clothes that you are more than welcomed to borrow for tonight," Porco offers, feeling awkward. "A-as for your sleeping space... i-it's probably small compared to what you're used to, but please feel free to use my bed."

The King gives him a blank look. "O-oh. I figured I'd sleep on this couch here."

Make a king sleep on his couch? Marcel would freak if he ever found out. Even though Marcel isn't here, Porco feels like he can already hear his brother's lecture.

"I don't feel comfortable making you sleep out there. Please use my bed."

"Where are you going to sleep?"

Porco shrugs. "The couch is an option."

"You trust a complete stranger to sleep unsupervised in your room?"

It's because the King phrased is like that that Porco suddenly feels panicked. He swears he doesn't have anything weird to hide in his room. But what if it turns out that he does? What if the King judges him for what's in that room?

"I-I'll sleep on the floor," Porco amends. "Please don't go through my stuff."

The King sniggers. Seen like this, Porco feels like the King is just a normal teenager who likes to joke around. It makes the King feel more approachable. And perhaps that's why Reiner seemed comfortable with him. Perhaps that's why Bertolt came over to check up on him.

Would Porco ever become that comfortable?

*

He can't sleep.

It's probably because he's on the floor of his own room. But for whatever reasons, his eyes won't stay shut. His mind feels like it's running laps around the world, and he finds it hard to calm down long enough to try and count sheep.

"Hey Porco? Are you still awake?" the King asks softly.

Thank god he doesn't have to pretend to be asleep.

"I'm awake," he says.

The King hesitates for a second before saying, "Erm... a-about today. S-sorry. For dragging you around and putting your family in an uncomfortable situation with Bertolt. A-and thanks. For putting up with me and my whims."

To be honest, Porco thought that it would be a given that he (and his family by extension) would do these things without thanks or an apology. Isn't it only natural to treat the royalty of a foreign nation well, even if said royalty is an Eldian?

But to say that he doesn't appreciate being thanked would be a lie. It's definitely not something one would receive from Marleyans, after all.

"It's not like you made any unusual demands. You don't have to thank or apologize. B-but thank you for saying so anyways."

"You're a good kid, aren't you?" the King asks with a soft sound that might be a giggle.

Porco bets that they're the same age. But he's not ballsy enough to say it.

"I bet you gave my brother a lot of problems," he manages out instead.

The King peers over the edge of the bed and looks at Porco with curious green eyes. "You have a brother?"

"Marcel Galliard. When Zeke isn't there, he's our de facto leader."

There's something about the blank look on the King's face that's making alarm bells ring in Porco's head. He sits up so that the two of them can be eye-to-eye.

"Y-you know him, right? Marcel Galliard? He's a freak at times, so I get pretending not to know him. But you do know him, right? He's on that island with Annie, right? He stayed behind because he was the one who ordered the attacks. B-because he's being held hostage like Annie is, right?"

The King moves out of bed and sits down on the floor so that the two of them can be eye-to-eye comfortably.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I have never met anyone by the name of Marcel Galliard."

B-but that can't be. How can Marcel-

"If... you mean the original holder of the Jaw Titan, then that person never made it to the walls. He was killed before that."

It feels like someone sucked the air out of the room. Porco can't seem to breath. Marcel was the best of their division (again, not counting Zeke). How could he...? That makes no sense. Of everyone, the one who should have returned is Marcel.

"I don't know the full story, so that's about all that I can tell you. But I am sorry for your loss."

Porco waits a second for the inevitable punchline. The second lengthens into another and another. Until it slowly dawns on him that there isn't a punchline.

This isn't a joke.

Marcel is dead.

He tries to breath and chokes on air. No, that's not quite it. It's more that he's choking on his sobs.

Marcel is dead.

His brother has been dead for who knows how long while Porco stupidly waited for this souvenir of his, who is looking at him with worried eyes.

"I'm okay," he lies.

The King hesitates for a second before putting his hand on Porco's shoulder. "It's okay to not be."

How strange such a simple sentence would be so comforting. Porco mourns for his brother as the young King comforts him.

* * *

It seems that damned brat of a king plans on giving Theo a headache starting first thing in the morning.

"He what?" he asks, just barely managing to hold back a groan.

"He informed Mr. Leonhart and the rest of the interment zone of Annie's status. They most definitely believe both Annie and Marcel are being held hostage on that island," Pieck reports.

From the report Reiner and Bertolt gave, Marcel is dead. Full stop. Annie's status was more of a question mark. Bertolt said Eren told him that Annie was stuck inside her crystal. But from what Eren told the interment zone, that doesn't seem to be the case.

At this point, Theo doesn't have the luxury to worry about which is correct or how to deal with the Eldians when they realize the truth of the situation (read: the Galliards when they realize their first born is dead). He needs to focus on keeping the young King occupied today so that he doesn't cause any more trouble for Theo.

"Thanks for reporting to me first thing. I'm going to need you to keep watch on the rest of the division today," Theo tells Pieck.

"Of course, sir."

"Anything unusual, no matter how little, you report to me."

"Yes sir."

*

Bertolt is carrying that brat again. How lazy must one be to demand to be carried like this? Not even the foreign royalties Theo has seen in passing were this bad.

"Good morning, your majesty," Theo greets once the king sits on the couch in Zeke's office.

"Morning," Eren says with a cold smile. "I see you still have both your eyes."

Damn him.

"I have your place prepared, your majesty, and some meetings scheduled for you. Let me make sure my division is settled, and we will go."

Eren gives a small wave of the hand in dismissal. Theo surprises himself by keeping calm.

"Children, you'll be running drills with Zeke today. Galliard, Braun, Hoover, with me in my office. Grice, I'm leaving you and Pieck to entertain his majesty," Theo says.

He pauses to glance around the room, waiting for any sign of disagreements. When none comes, he takes his leave, knowing that his division members will jump to obey.

This damned king hasn't robbed him of that.

*

"Report," Theo commands to Porco.

"The King was amiable and didn't cause any stress. He was easily entertained by photography, electricity, and running water. He stated that he never had seafood pasta before due to the walls being too far inland for seafood."

Theo waits for Porco to report that Eren ate dinner at the Jaeger Clinic, but that part of the report doesn't come. What does come, however, is...

"Hoover stopped by in the evening and in the morning with clothes for the King to wear. We debated on which armband to give him, but he said he'd rather not wear any. Is it alright that we didn't force him to have one?"

Bertolt did what? Theo keeps his expression neutral and gives Porco a small motion that it's fine. Then he turns to Bertolt, who doesn't seem to be bothered by the report.

"You. What were you doing?" Theo asks.

"Eren doesn't have any clothes aside from the red scarf. I believed it vital that he not be walking around the interment zone naked."

Okay, fine. Theo can see the logic in that. That brat seems like the type to walk around naked if it means it'll give Theo more headaches. But what he doesn't get is why only Bertolt arrived on that conclusion. Is it because Reiner's family kept him busy? Gabi probably had a lot she wanted to ask, too.

"Reiner, what did you do during this time?" Theo asks.

"I was held up by my family, sir."

So far, these are all reasonable answers. There isn't any sign yet of defection. Theo is going to have to accept that for now.

The problem is Zeke.

* * *

Pieck makes him a cup of coffee and hands over the plate of sugar cubes. Eren immediately puts two in, just because. Then he stirs as he watches Pieck hand another cup of coffee to Colt and then sits down with her own. Neither of them reaches for the sugar cubes.

"Did you sleep well, your majesty?" Pieck asks with a pleasant smile.

"No complaints."

Eren sips the coffee. As he thought. It's much better with two cubes. He wonders if it'll taste even better with three. Or would that become too sugary? Is there such a thing? He could call it a science experiment and try it.

"Were you okay with staying with Porco's family? They're a nice bunch, but Porco's a bit... Well, that's not to say that he's a bad person. He's just... headstrong. And sometimes he forgets to be polite."

Porco was plenty polite. Eren wonders what she's on. Or maybe he feels that way because he's used to the military's treatment? Thinking it over in his head, he quietly sips his coffee for a bit.

"No complaints," Eren repeats. "In fact, I'd much rather stay in the interment zone than a fancy hotel."

"It wouldn't be right to force someone of your status to stay in there," Pieck says, laughing like he said the funniest thing.

He hates how easily she dismisses his words while pretending his words have weight.

A loud shout outside catches their attention.

"Please excuse me," Colt says. He opens the window and yells out, "Are you okay down there?"

Eren can't hear the answer, but Colt looks tense. Curious, he puts the coffee cup down and goes to the window to see out. It looks like one of the children of the Warriors Division has hurt himself. From how Zeke is positioned, it's clear that he has everything under control. Must be a light injury. Maybe a skinned knee?

Zeke clearly has this under control.

He very clearly does.

But Eren jumps anyways.

It's only two floors high. His titan healing lasts only for a few seconds at best. Then he's walking towards Zeke and the injured child, ignoring the loud shouting of disbelief from the window.

"Eren, are you alright? Y-you should be more careful," Zeke tells him worriedly.

"Never mind me. I can heal. Are you alright?" Eren asks as he kneels before the blonde boy.

The boy flushes red. "I-I'm fine, your majesty."

He says that, but his knee is covered with blood. Sure, it's a skinned knee and not that big of an issue. But for a kid this age, isn't this way too mature? Is that what it means to be a Warrior Candidate? To be forced to grow up even though there isn't a tragedy such as the Colossal Titan breaking the walls and letting in mindless titans?

Eren ruffles the boy's hair.

"You're very brave," he says. Then he rips the shirt that he's wearing and ties it securely around the boy's knee. "It's not much, but this should help with the bleeding."

"S-sir! T-that's your shirt and-"

"It's fine. It's Bertolt's."

Zeke frowns. "Oh, that's right. I should have grabbed some clothes for you. I'm so sorry for forgetting."

By the time Pieck and Colt make their way down to the grounds, Eren has been introduced to the children of the Warriors Division.

"P-please inform us before you... do things like that," Colt says, making a vague motion in the air. He glances worriedly at Falco, who was injured, but doesn't say anything.

"You know, I feel like walking around a bit. Do I have to inform you of that, too?" Eren asks.

Colt flushes. "I-I apologize, sir. That was presumptuous of me. Please do as you wish."

Eren actually asked that for clarification, not to rebuke him. But he's not about to say no to this small piece of freedom.

"Pieck, can you help Falco to the infirmary? The rest of you, let's return to training," Zeke says.

Figuring this means that it's fine to do as he wishes, Eren takes a walk, letting Colt trail a few steps behind him.

*

"Sir, you shouldn't leave the premise," Colt informs him, looking alarmed when Eren takes a step out of the headquarter gates.

"I thought I can do as I wish?" Eren asks.

Colt pales and quickly lowers his head. "I apologize, sir. Yes, you are free to do as you wish."

That was also a question Eren wanted more clarification on. But it seems that Colt is way too scared to contradict him in any form. Eren wonders if he should let Colt know that it's okay to relax. Then again, doing so might end up with Colt refusing to give him any form of freedom. After living for so long with Mikasa's insistence that he can do nothing right by himself, it feels strange to be allowed so much room to breath.

This is better.

"Oh, that's right. I have been curious about how that guy is doing. Colt, can you take me to the hospital?"

"S-sir?" Colt asks nervously.

"The guy that was blinded yesterday," Eren reminds him. "I want to see if his hand is still attached."

After all, that's the excuse Magath gave to Eren why the guy had to go to the hospital. But Eren gets the feeling that guy's hand is still attached. In fact, he won't be shocked if Magath already came up with reasons why no more Marleyans will be harmed.

It's a shame, really.

Eren was hoping to stir up more trouble before being found out.

Colt looks faint. Maybe Eren should suggest that he go to the clinic, too? He's fine with wandering through the streets until he finds said hospital, if it comes to that.

"I-I'll take you, sir."

*

The hospital is a bit of a walk, but nothing that Eren can't handle. Colt does offer to carry him. Eren turns it down, though. This guy looks faint as it is. No need to make him carry Eren on top of that. If he suddenly passes out, Eren doesn't know the way to the hospital and will have no choice but to abandon Colt in the middle of the streets. Besides, it's a pain to be carried. He'd rather use his own legs.

"Hello, I'm looking for..." Eren pauses. Shoot. What's the guy's name? He glances at Colt.

"Koslow," Colt supplies.

Eren nods. "Koslow. He was hospitalized yesterday. Would it be alright if I checked on him?"

The nurse at the station glares at the armband on Colt's arm. She doesn't say anything, but Eren understands.

"Colt, wait outside."

For a second, Colt looks like he might argue. But then he glances nervously around the area before nodding stiffly. The nurse waits until Colt is gone before addressing Eren.

"That person is part of the military. Unless you can prove that you're with the military, I'm afraid I can't let you in."

Is that that hard to say when Colt was still in here? But still, if it's like that, then there's no way that they'd let Eren in, huh?

Wait.

Eren makes a show of searching his pockets and then groans. "Shoot. I think I left my badge at home. You know, the Eldian outside can vouch for me. He's part of the Warriors Division and all that. I promise I won't be here for long. I'm just worried about my buddy, you know? He was stabbed in the eye by his own commander. It must've been very scary."

The nurse seems to think it over for a bit before she sighs. "Please don't make it into a habit. I can only allow this for five minutes."

What do you know? As long as you're not wearing an armband, it's easy to make requests.

"Thank you!"

*

The hospital is pristine and clean, especially compared to the Jaeger Clinic. That isn't to say that the clinic isn't clean. It's just not to this level of clean. Instead, the clinic has a more homey feeling to it. The difference is probably the pristine white walls and deep stink of disinfectants here.

"It's this room," the nurse tells Eren. "Please excuse me, I have other things to take care of."

With that, the nurse leaves Eren alone to face the Marleyan.

Eren isn't so stupid to believe that this conversation is going to go over great. This guy will doubtlessly be upset that Magath sided with an Eldian. But it's been bothering Eren. When Magath talks, it's clearly with every intent to appease Eren. But does his words hold any actual power?

His hand touches the doorknob.

"Stop right there. Only military officials are allowed in. Who are you and who let you come here?" asks a low growl of a voice.

When Eren turns to face the speaker, the old man standing before him is overlapped by a much younger version.

This younger version scowls at Eren. "You? Are you serious? You, Eren? You're the one we're entrusting this titan to?"

A name for this young scowling man occurs to Eren as if he's remembering an old memory. A doctor, Eren thinks. This doctor before him is...

"Niko?"

The younger version is no longer there. It's just the old man with just as nasty of a scowl before Eren. But that anger falters.

"... Eren?"

It's the correct name, but Eren gets the feeling that this doctor isn't referring to him. Rather, he thinks the doctor might mean the "Eren" his younger self referred to in that fragment of memory.

"It is you, isn't it? Eren? You... You damned bastard...!"

The doctor grabs Eren's wrist and drags him behind him.

Eren gets the feeling that he might have messed up somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The brat of a king is not in Zeke's office where Theo left him. The good news is that neither Colt nor Pieck is here, which means they must be doing their job of watching over Eren, right?
> 
> "Pieck is outside with Zeke and the children, sir," Reiner reports from the window. "But I don't see Eren."
> 
> "Knowing Eren, he probably decided to explore," Bertolt says.
> 
> If Theo was a foreign royalty in Liberio for the first time, what would he be most interested in? The river, right? Liberio's pride and joy, the most beautiful river? He runs through other possible spots that Colt might suggest for Eren to see and comes up blank. Of course, he'll come up blank. How would Colt know anywhere to look at outside of the interment zone?
> 
> "Eren isn't in my office?" Zeke asks when Theo demands to know the location of the damned king.
> 
> "Anyone have any idea where he might have gone?" Theo manages out as calmly as he can.
> 
> The Eldians all glance at one another, looking alarmed.
> 
> Reiner elbows Bertolt. "You don't think he's at the ocean again, do you?"
> 
> "It's possible. But don't you think he's more likely to be checking out the area?"
> 
> "It's possible that he might have decided to visit Koslow, isn't it?" Porco asks.
> 
> Both Reiner and Bertolt pale as if remembering something horrifying. Theo doesn't like this.
> 
> "Y-you know... E-Eren might have decided to take Koslow's hand himself," Reiner says slowly.
> 
> "He's the type to do that and more," Bertolt agrees faintly.
> 
> Theo orders one of the Marleyan soldiers to call ahead to the hospital. With strict orders for the kids (and Zeke) to stay here, he splits the rest of his division to look for that damned brat.


	8. And we could be flying deadly high

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'll be taking a bit of a hiatus due to RL. I'll see you when I next see you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The news arrived for the Tybur family in the middle of dinner.
> 
> His dad is typically not the type to curse. But when he heard of the arrival of the young king of Paradis, he let out a string of curses that left the rest of the family too stunned to be able to do anything but stare at him. Once he got himself under better control, he left in the middle of the meal to deal with the problem.
> 
> It must still not be dealt with, because his dad is cursing again as he struggles with his tie that he wears every day.
> 
> "Dear, do you want me to get that for you?" his mom asks.
> 
> His dad lets out a long sigh and nods. "Yes please."
> 
> "It's going to be okay," his mom says as she fixes the tie. "This young king hasn't caused the Rumbling nor has turned all the Eldians into pure titans. That means he is negotiable."
> 
> "I just don't understand how the so-called Warriors could have messed this up. The Vow of Peace should have rendered the royal family unable to fight back from any sort of attacks. They should have returned with the Founding Titan without any royal family member attached!"
> 
> "Maybe something happened."
> 
> His dad lets out a frustrated sound. "Something always happens, doesn't it? And now they want me to bring my family into this..."
> 
> "We are Tyburs. This is the duty that we took up in return for bringing peace to the world," his mom says.
> 
> Feeling satisfied, Willy lets his parents be and steps out into the hall.
> 
> "Mom and dad doing okay?" his sister asks.
> 
> Willy nods. "Yup. And there's no change in regards to us greeting the king."
> 
> "Why does it seem like you're the most excited about this?"
> 
> "Oh come on, Lara. You're just as curious as me about this 'king.'"
> 
> His sister can give him that cool look like she doesn't care all she wants, but Willy knows her too well to fall for it.
> 
> "At the very least, I want to see this 'devil' that so casually demanded the eye and hand of every Marleyan," she admits.
> 
> The two siblings grin.

Niko pushes Eren into a chair in the middle of the room. This must be an office of sorts, judging from the sheer amount of documents on the desk. This room doesn't have any windows. It's small and cramped, made even more so by the filled bookshelves and documents everywhere.

"I can't offer anything to drink, but I doubt you'll want anything from me," the doctor says.

Eren nods slowly in agreement.

Niko shakes his head, staring at Eren with disgust. "That titan power sure is convenient, isn't it, Eren? Look at you, a kid again."

"I... er... this is awkward, but..."

"Don't worry. This office is secure. You can speak your mind."

Eren shakes his head. "No, not that. I er... I mean I am Eren, yes. But uh..."

"You don't have all of your memories yet?" Niko guesses.

Oh. Looks like Eren didn't have to go around the topic. He nods.

"Tch. Awful convenient power has that drawback, huh? That's fine. You prepared this in case of this exact thing."

Niko moves to his desk and rummages around for a bit. Muttering darkly under his breath, he goes through the stacks and stacks of documents until...

"Aha. Here we go."

He hands Eren a sealed envelope. It's much too thin to contain all the information that Eren would like to see. But there has to be a reason why this was left for him, right?

Eren opens the envelope.

There's a single page letter inside.

It's a little discouraging, but he figured it'd be like this since the envelope is so thin. Well, that's okay. All Eren really wants to know is what his mission is. And for that, an entire page is a lot.

He stares at the letter, letting his eyes skim over every word. Then he returns to the top of the letter and goes through again. Just to make sure that this is everything, he turns the letter and checks the back. Nope. No writing on the back. There's nothing else in the envelope either.

This single page letter is all he has.

Quietly, he folds the letter and puts it back in the envelope. Then he pockets it.

"All good?" Niko asks.

It is not in fact "all good."

Eren cannot read the Marleyan language.

"Yeah. It's fine. Uh... I kind of left my companion outside. So I can't stay here long. I'll be taking my leave now."

For a second, he fears that Niko will call him out. But the doctor seems to decide to let it go.

"We should get a drink sometime," he says instead. "Don't worry, you cheapskate. I'll pay."

The words "I'm underaged" almost leaves Eren's mouth. But he somehow get the feeling that those words are a code of some sorts. If he were to mention that he's underaged, he'd end up giving away something that he mustn't.

Damn it... Just how many more secrets does he have to keep? This is exhausting. 

With a stiff smile, Eren takes his leave.

*

Colt is nervously pacing back and forth when Eren comes out of the hospital.

"Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting," he says as greeting.

The first emotion on Colt's face is that of immense relief. Then it's that of anxious worry and frustration. Eren almost hears it. The ever so familiar lecture that follows whenever someone makes that face. But then Colt schools himself so that he's showing his typical tense expression.

"It's alright. Would you like to return?"

Eren is tempted to say that he doesn't want to, just to see Colt sweat. But he figures he pushed enough buttons today.

"Before that, here."

When Eren was heading out, one of the nurses gave him a lollipop. And yes, he is really curious as to how different a Marleyan lollipop would taste, especially compared to the sweet treats he, Mikasa, and Armin had to save up months in advance to be able to afford at a local festival. But he thinks it's only good manners that he hands this over to Colt as a part of the war spoils. Eren gets a letter that he can't read. Colt gets an unknown sweet. If anything, Colt got the better part of the deal.

"S-sir? D-do you want me to open that for you?" Colt asks, brows furrowing in confusion.

Does he look so helpless that Colt believes he can't do that little?

"No, it's for you. Thanks for taking me here. And for waiting for me."

Colt looks completely taken back. But he accepts the lollipop in his hands, staring at it as if it's a puzzle he can't put together.

"Okay! Since we're out here anyways, want to go down to the harbor a bit? I want to see the ocean!" Eren says.

"S-sir, I don't think we should..." Colt stops. Then he nods firmly. "I understand. I will take you to the ocean."

Actually, if Colt thinks that they should head back, Eren is fine with that. Magath did say something about wanting to show Eren to his new place of living or whatever, right? T-the lollipop wasn't Eren trying to bribe Colt or anything. Actually, no. Why the hell was Colt bribed with a single lollipop? Isn't he charging way too little for his services?!

"This way, sir," Colt says, motioning.

Oh well. They'll just deal with Magath later.

*

Even though they've crossed the ocean, it doesn't seem all that different. The smell of the ocean, the feeling of the soft breeze, the lull of the waves, the sound of the gulls overheard...

It's all calming.

He knows he shouldn't. But his eyes try to seek out the island that must be somewhere across that horizon. Are they doing well over there? Is he even allowed to ask that?

The smell of iron on Mikasa's scarf has long washed off. But he feels like he can smell it anyways. A constant reminder of what he did. That island is no longer a place he can return to. The people he loves will never see the ocean.

These are the choices that he made himself.

Levi told him a long time ago that no one knows the end result of the decision one makes. So he shouldn't regret the choices and instead move forward. That's the least he can do after helping to rob his Captain's life.

"It will be hard. Of that, I have no illusions. You will consider giving up countless times. But you will push through. You must keep moving forward."

Eren glances around, trying to find the person who spoke. But there's no one here but Colt, who gives him a curious look. Is there another memory on this shore? Just in case, Eren tries walking up and down the shore.

Nothing.

There's no memory here that's surfacing.

Then what was that? It's the voice that spoke to Grisha back on Paradis. A holder of the Attack Titan before his dad. This other "Eren" that Niko mentioned. But aside from that, Eren has nothing more to piece that man's identity.

"Is everything alright?" Colt calls out to him.

Taking a deep breath, Eren turns to Colt with a grin. "Thanks for keeping me company."

Colt smiles back. It's probably because of the ocean. If Eren doesn't think of it as such, he'd feel too sad for Colt who seems to be doing all of this for a lollipop. 

"It was my pleasure, your majesty."

Oh. It's not "sir" anymore. Eren wonders if that's important.

"Then shall we head back?" Eren asks.

* * *

If Reiner had a fish for every time Eren gave those who care about him a heart attack, he would have more than enough to feed two villages and some fish left over. And this is only counting their years together training as cadets until now. He imagines Mikasa or Amin would have had much more fish. Maybe enough to feed half the world population.

The reason why he's thinking so much of fish, by the way, is...

"Okay, so what's this one?" Eren asks, pointing at one on display in the fish market by the harbor.

"That's a yellowfin tuna," Colt explains to him without missing a beat. "Most of the fish that we eat tend to be from the tuna family."

Both of them seem completely oblivious to the nasty glares from the Marleyans around them. They're cheerfully talking about the fish found in the market. And on one hand, Reiner is glad to see that Colt has warmed up to Eren. But on the other hand, do these two realize just how much of a headache they gave the rest of the division?

"So this word here says 'yellowfin tuna?'" Eren asks, pointing at the sign next to the fish.

"That's correct. And right under it is the cost."

Eren looks thoughtfully at the sign. Then he turns towards Colt. "So how much does it cost? Is it something you can buy?"

"I'm afraid not," Colt says.

"And I won't sell to you," the Marleyan shopkeeper snaps.

Eren points to another sign, ignoring the shopkeeper. "This one has a different beginning, but also has 'tuna' at the end, right?"

Any normal time, Colt would've been more concerned about an angry Marleyan. But something must have happened between the two of them. Colt nods and answers Eren's questions without glancing once at the shopkeeper.

"Yes. That's 'skipjack tuna.'"

The Marleyan shopkeeper seems to be hitting the limit of their patience. Reiner bolts for the oblivious pair.

"There you are!" Reiner says as he pushes them away. "Do you know how worried we were? Commander Magath was searching everywhere for you two!"

He turns to the shopkeeper and gives a grateful nod. But that's all he can dare to give.

"Reiner, wait. What about you? Since you're a Warrior and not a Candidate, you can buy one, right?" Eren asks, refusing to be pushed.

No choice.

Reiner picks Eren up in his arms.

"Colt, we need to run."

Lucky him. Colt has a brain.

*

"Do you hate fish that much?" Eren asks him with a frown once Reiner gets far enough away from the fish market. "Maybe I should've thrown fish at you instead of ordering titans to kill you."

Reiner takes a second to catch his breath. "I assure you, Eren. It's not fish I hate."

"S-sorry," Colt tells both of them. "I should have been more on guard, especially outside of the interment zone."

"Don't worry, Colt. I know it was Eren. He's damned persuasive when he wants to be, isn't he?"

Eren smacks Reiner lightly. "Put me down if you're just going to poke fun at me."

Like hell Reiner can do that. What if the minute Reiner puts him down, Eren takes off running? Eren wasn't top 5 of their class for nothing. In fact, Reiner won't put it past Eren to poke out his eyes or something before running, too.

"No can do, your majesty. I'm carrying you like this for the rest of the day."

"To give Bertolt's arms a break?" Eren asks.

Pfft. What kind of reasoning is that? It's cute, so Reiner decides to let this incident go.

"That's exactly it," Reiner says, laughing. "So stop wiggling and let's go calm down Commander Magath."

*

"By the way, Eren, it slipped my mind to mention it earlier, but do you want me to teach you the Marleyan language?" Reiner offers.

"Yeah, that'd be helpful." With that, Eren points at one of the signs they're passing by. "That one. Read that."

"That one says 'bakery,'" Colt supplies.

Reiner gives him a thankful look. "I think we still have books from when Gabi was first learning to read. I'll get those to you."

"I have some from Falco," Colt adds. "I'll bring those over, too."

"Both of you, thanks. Now read that one."

* * *

The neutral expression of Commander Magath has finally broken. He looks a second away from snapping at Eren. But the minute Eren meets eyes with him, Magath closes his eyes and forces himself to take a deep breath.

Man, if Eren had something like this back on Paradis, he wouldn't have spent so long in jail cells. Then again, there was the looming promise of having his friends killed if he were to even think about being mischievous. This freedom he has now comes at too high a cost.

"I am fine with you wanting to explore. But please let someone know where you're going beforehand," Magath grits out slowly.

How lenient. It makes Eren want to be an utter brat, just to see how far he can push Magath.

"I was with Colt the entire time. Or are you saying that your division members cannot be trusted?" Eren asks.

Reiner's hold around him tightens like a silent warning. But isn't Reiner curious? How far can Eren go? How much will they bend and give him? Where is the line? Magath had no issue blinding one of his men. So what more can Eren get?

"Colt is indeed trustworthy. But I would like to be informed of your whereabouts, especially since I've scheduled for my higher ups and the Tybur family to greet you today."

"Shouldn't I have been informed of these meetings beforehand? Why is it my fault for exploring when you never said anything about it?"

Magath forces himself to take a deep breath. But Eren doesn't feel like letting him calm down.

"And I noticed that Koslow still have both hands."

He didn't actually get to check. It's a guess at best. A gamble, he supposes Erwin would say. But the confirmation is in the stiffness of Magath's back. He feels Reiner tense, but he can't afford to be distracted now.

"We were busy preparing for you," Magath says.

Eren tilts his head to the side. "The hospital staff was, you mean? I thought you were leaving chopping his hand off to them. Yet they didn't even recognized me when I walked in. Your words aren't matching up, Commander."

"The one who will determine whether that hand will be chopped off is my superiors you'll be meeting today."

"So despite being a 'commander' in rank, you hold no power," Eren concludes.

Magath twitches but doesn't try to defend himself.

"Why did you waste everyone's time by pretending you did? All you had to do was say that you have no power over Marleyans, just Eldians. Oh, could it be? Did you want to blind that man for your own purposes? How sly of you, Commander! Using me as a pretext. So what did you get out of it? A promotion? A reward?"

For a second, Eren feels it. Magath's composure cracking. But before it can shatter and let everyone see this so-called commander for who he is, they're interrupted by a Marleyan soldier.

"Commander, it's getting close to noon. We shouldn't keep the Tybur family waiting."

The soldier shoots Eren nervous glances between his words. Despite the fact that he's speaking to his commander, he's more worried about upsetting Eren. It makes Eren want to laugh. What a useless power. All it does is make people around him nervous and tense. But it doesn't allow him to do anything more.

"Would you be amiable to meeting the Tybur family today for lunch?" Magath asks Eren.

He wants to refuse out of sheer spite. But that wouldn't be very fair to the gracious Tybur family that came out of hiding for a meal.

"On one condition. Let the Warriors Division members dine with me."

*

A room in the headquarter has been repurposed for this lunch meeting.

Because all Eren had is a brief walk around the outside of the building, he doesn't really know the interior enough to judge if this is a big thing. But he does note that there are guards in stark different uniforms lining the halls. They're clearly not soldiers, seeing that none of them salute to greet Magath. Are they personal guards of the Tybur family?

Reiner and Bertolt briefly touched up on the Tybur family when they were going over information that Eren needed to know before they arrived in Marley. They're the family with the Warhammer Titan that made a deal with Helos to defeat King Fritz. Despite being Eldians, they hold "Honorary Marleyan" status and live outside of the interment zone. They normally keep to themselves. So the fact that they accepted this invitation to meet Eren makes him cautious.

"As you requested, the Warriors Division will be right with you," Magath says.

"That wasn't my condition," Eren reminds him.

Magath gives him a tight smile. "The Warrior Candidates are the servers, your majesty. They cannot serve and eat at the same time."

So Porco and Colt will be taking care of getting them food? Where is the food coming from? Eren doubts someone as rich sounding as the Tybur family can stomach anything that doesn't exude money. Then is this fancy food that Tybur family normally eats that they'll be given? What a thought. Eren can feel his stomach threaten to growl out loud.

The fact that Magath didn't blink twice when Eren made his demand tells him one of two things. 1, Magath expected a request like that and already asked to feed his division members beforehand. Or 2, Magath is going to come up with a reason why his division members cannot eat.

From how Magath already weeded out the Warrior Candidates from being allowed to eat, Eren guesses that they'll be leaning towards the latter.

"Then why don't you serve us, Commander? I think you can stand to lose a few pounds."

Magath's neutral expression does not waver. It seems this level of prodding isn't good enough. That's fine. Eren will keep poking until he finds all the buttons to press.

He has nothing but time.

*

A family of four greets Eren with fake warmth when he walks into the room. A middle aged man, a wife who looks younger than him, a son who seems to be around Zeke's age, and a daughter around Eren's age. All four of them stare at Reiner carrying Eren for a few seconds, clearly caught off-guard. But they catch themselves and quickly force fake smiles on their faces.

There's a large circular table with various dishes covered. From the way the utensils and chairs are placed, the meal is only for the four Tybur family members and Eren. There are Tybur family guards lining the walls on all four sides. They close the door once all the Warriors Division members trail in behind Eren.

"Your majesty," Father Tybur says, bowing regally. "I am the current Tybur family head, Don. This is my wife Natalie, and two of my children, Willy and Lara. I would have loved to have brought the rest of the family, but alas, this was too short of a notice to bring them all back from overseas. It is a deep honor to meet you."

If Eren was true royalty, he would know how to bow and greet those fake smiles with ones of his own, wouldn't he? Unfortunately, Eren is just a normal commoner. The best they're going to get is what he recalls reading about kings in story books.

"Your heads are awful high for those greeting a king, aren't they? Shall we lop them off?" Eren asks, matching his smile to their fakeness.

The smiles freeze on their faces. Eren sees the anger coil in Don's tense form. But before anything can come of it, Natalie puts a hand on her husband's arm and offers Eren a dip of the head.

"Our mistake, your majesty."

She doesn't offer any excuses like Magath did. She kneels before him gracefully without any more fuss. The rest of the family follows suit.

Gotcha. The one who holds power in this household is her. As long as she approves of Eren, he'll have the Tybur family support. He wonders what'll come out of it, though. Is it worth getting on their good side? He wishes there had been some time for him to talk to Reiner or Bertolt (or Zeke, if it came to it) about this.

"I'll forgive it. After all, it has been a long time since you last saw royalty from Paradis," Eren decides.

"Your kindness knows no bound," Don says.

Oh, he's back to being calm.

The family slowly stands back up. With a stiff smile, Don motions at the table.

"Then shall we?"

"Where did this food come from?" Eren asks.

Don stands straighter, poised to brag. "Our family chef made it just for you, your majesty. Liberio's specialties. They're sure to blow you away!"

If it's food from Liberio, Eren assumes it's going to be more seafood. Would the fish he saw at the market be here? That's actually a pretty cool thought.

Bertolt pulls out the chair for Eren so that Reiner can put him down. They push the chair in for him and stand right behind him as if to be his guards. The other members of the Warriors Division stands a bit further back. On the other hand, the Tybur family sits down at the table so that the two adults are right across from Eren. The children flank their parents on either sides and leaves a large space between themselves and Eren.

Eren assumed that when Magath said the Warrior Candidates would be serving them, it would be Porco and Colt. He doesn't expect to see the four children of the Warriors Division to carefully lift what must be hot food coverings and offer them drinks.

Bastard.

What kind of a sicko makes children do this? In order for the Tybur family chef to cook something that is still steaming hot right now, the dishes must have been heated up to an insane degree. These kids could potentially burn their hands or get horribly hurt because of this. Eren doesn't understand why someone who can heal wouldn't be asked to do this instead.

He feels Reiner's hand against his back, reminding him to calm down. Right. The Tyburs are before him. He shouldn't face them with undue anger.

"How do you find Liberio thus far, your majesty?" Don asks as the children move to pour their drinks.

Eren forces himself to focus on the Tybur family and not on how heavy those jugs look.

"I haven't had the chance to look at much aside from the interment zone. But you wouldn't know much about there since you live as Marleyans."

"That's not true," Don says with what he probably thinks is a friendly smile. "We live as Eldians, through and through."

Eren reaches over and grabs Reiner's armband. Then he glances at Don with equally fake smile.

"So much like Eldians that you don't even bother with armbands. Or live in the interment zone. Or face the every day disgust Marleyans shoot you when you walk down the streets. Do you know how many times the Warrior Candidate who accompanied me was spat at? But because I didn't wear an armband, they didn't show the same level of disgust to me."

From the stiffness of Don's smile, Eren sees that his point has gotten across. He releases Reiner's armband.

"Y-your majesty, please try the food," Natalie says quickly. "I am curious as to see if your taste in food is similar to our own."

Changed topics, huh? Is it that hard a pill for them to swallow that they've been sitting around on money and privilege while their fellow Eldians are being slaughtered in their own neighborhood?

... That's odd. Why does Eren feel so strongly about this? Whether the Tybur family lived well or not doesn't matter to him. So why does he feel this coiling rage filled with accusations? Is this another leftover from the memories he sees?

Eren doesn't like this at all. Rather, he doesn't like what that implies.

He tugs at Reiner's sleeve and then makes a small motion at the food. Reiner looks blankly back at him. Shoot. Does Eren have to spell it out? He wants Reiner to eat first.

Bertolt lets out a small sound, making Eren turn towards him. With a smile that seems to be telling Eren to not worry, Bertolt takes a bit of the main dish and puts it on Eren's plate. He then picks up a small forkful of the food and holds it to Eren's mouth.

Yes, it most definitely looks like he needs to spell it out to these two.

Eren leans back away from the food, making sure to put his hand over his mouth so that Bertolt doesn't take advantage.

"You're supposed to eat it first," he says lightly.

Both Bertolt and Reiner let out a small sound of understanding. Jeesh, even when Eren is trying to feed them a delicious meal, they react like this. Eren doesn't know why he bothered. He should feed Zeke instead. At least his brother surely would be more underst-

"My mistake, your majesty," Bertolt says. "I'll taste it for poison first."

Both Don and Natalie freeze. They both tense, their eyes filled with undisguised fury. For once, Eren agrees.

What the hell is Bertolt saying? What part of Eren is trying to feed the Warriors Division members did he not understand? Is he doing this on purpose to set Eren on fire? And yes, Eren wasn't exactly trying to make friends with the Tybur family, but the one who pushed them over the edge was Bertolt!

"Our food isn't poisoned," Willy says with surprising amount of calm for someone whose family was accused of trying to kill a king.

Then as to demonstrate, he takes a portion of the food onto his plate and digs in. His movements are precise and steady. If he's nervous about being watched by this many pairs of eyes, he doesn't show it.

Damn it. If he's that cool about it, that turns Eren into more of an asshole!

"It doesn't contain poison," Bertolt announces, his fork empty.

Did... he just ignore Willy and eat the food anyways? W-what...

Eren is so baffled that he can't help but to laugh. "There are other dishes, too. Reiner?"

"As you wish, your majesty."

*

The Tyburs don't try to make any conversations after that. They all eat in tense silence, making Eren's stomach churn. He can't recall the taste of the food that he does manage to get down. It's a shame since he doubts he'll be allowed to eat something like this again.

"If you're done eating, then we'll clean the table," Falco tells them.

The Warrior Candidates diligently clear up the table and bring forth what seems to be tea and cookies.

"So tea does exist out here," Eren mumbles.

Bertolt and Reiner try the tea and the cookies without Eren motioning for them to this time. Then they clear it for Eren by putting a plate of sugar cubes within easy reach and then getting him a plate of colorful cookies.

He puts two cubes into his tea. He thinks about it for a second and picks up another one.

"I don't think you need that many," Reiner says.

"Let him be," Bertolt tells Reiner. "You know his majesty likes sweets."

"But isn't this too..."

Eren ignores them and puts the cube straight into his mouth. He hears Reiner lets out a small hiss, but it's not like Eren's making him eat it. So why's he making a big deal over it?

The sugar melts on his tongue. It feels like the tension from the meal is slowly easing up. Maybe he should have asked to eat sugar during the meal instead. It would've been better than feeling like his stomach was in knots the entire time. Then he would've at least remembered what the food tasted like, right?

"The sugar cubes don't need to be poison tested?" Lara asks as she sips her own tea.

Eren gives her a pleasant smile. "Why would I fear poison? I'm a shifter."

He takes a sip of the tea to wash down the rest of the sugar in his mouth. This tea is quite delicious. He wonders what the blend is. Captain Levi would...

Right. Captain Levi is dead.

It takes him a second to realize that he's being stared at. He glances up from his tea and is met with baffled and thoughtful looks from the Tybur family.

"Your majesty, did you use poison as excuse to feed your fellow Eldians?" Don asks.

No shit. And with Magath refusing to allow Eren his condition, he had to get creative. The "poison testing" is all on Bertolt, damn it.

He picks up a cookie and makes a show of examining it to pretend that he didn't hear. It looks to be a five-petaled flower, except Reiner has broken off one of the petals to "test" for poison. Honestly, if he hates sweets that much, he should've given it to one of the kids instead.

"How do you feel about a walk around to help us digest, your majesty? We'd be glad to give you a tour of Liberio," Natalie says.

Eren bites into one of the petals, trying to figure out what she's trying to get out of him. What's walking around Liberio supposed to accomplish? Is she going to brag to him about what's here? But why? She clearly wanted nothing to do with him during the meal. So what changed? Or maybe, like him, she's in a good mood now that she has sugar in her system?

"If that's the case, then there's something I need." Eren turns towards Magath.

"Oh, you don't need his permission, your majesty. You're with the Tyburs," she continues.

Eren ignores her. "If I'm to go around the Marleyan side of Liberio, I'm going to need an armband. The normal Eldian one, of course. It wouldn't do for me to wear something that marks me as part of the Warriors Division when I'm not."

"T-there's no need for that! Y-your majesty, your status is that of a king! That outranks us Tybur family by a thousand-fold. Please don't worry about armbands," Don rushes to say.

Magath gives Eren his usual neutral expression. "Your majesty, I have no guarantee that you will be treated with respect if you put an armband on."

"That's perfect. Because I have no guarantee that I will be respectful, armband or not."

"I can give you the armband for an Honorary Marleyan," Magath says.

Eren scoffs. "I don't recall saying I wanted to be any form of Marleyan, honorary or not. I'll only accept the normal Eldian armband."

Magath stares at him for a beat longer. Then he turns to the Tybur family without any change in expression.

"A walk is out of the question."

"Now when you say it like that, it makes me want to insist on one," Eren tells him honestly.

No sign of Magath's neutral expression slipping. So not this either, huh?

"Well, that's that," Eren concludes, turning back to the Tyburs. "Anything else you want to say? Better make it fast. Magath scheduled another meeting after this."

"Did you enjoy the meal and tea today, your majesty?" Willy asks.

Eren shrugs and sips his tea.

"If we can't take a walk, then would you like to come to our residence once you're finished here? If the meal just now wasn't to your taste, our chef would be more than happy to work with you to make something you'd enjoy."

Why are they pushing so hard for...?

Oh. That's it.

They're suggesting things to get him away from the Warriors Division.

Eren buys himself some time to think by finishing his flower-shaped cookie. If they're trying to get him away from the Warriors Division, it can only be inferred that they want to say something that Marleyans cannot hear. Are they going to criticize the current government? Suggest a rebellion?

The room before him changes. He's no longer at a meal but in an office, standing stiffly before his superior who is sitting at his desk. Both of them are wearing a uniform similar to what the gate keepers of the interment zone wore. Public Security Authorities officers, his brain supplies him. Neither of them wear armbands marking them as Eldians, but Eren knows the truth.

"Do you really believe that the Tyburs have no hand in what Marley does?" his superior asks, lips curling into a snarl. "And that's why they always send their children out to private schools overseas? That's why they meet up with foreign nations' leaders periodically? That's why they don't wear armbands? If you are truly serious about being a Patriot, you need to sharpen your observations."

"But even if I know this information, there's nothing that a lowly officer like me can do about it," he points out.

"Nothing right now," his superior agrees. "But a time will come when every piece of information you initially believed to be useless will become the spear to strike down our enemies. When that time comes..."

His superior looks him straight in the eyes.

"You'll know what to do, Eren."

Joke's on them.

Eren has no idea what he's supposed to do.

After all, the letter that was supposed to explain everything is in a language he doesn't know. It's not like he can just shove that letter at whoever and ask them to read it for him either. No, no. It'll be far better for him to learn how to read and figure out what's written there himself before mentioning the letter to anyone. That way, even if someone were to lie to him about what's on the letter, he'd already know the truth.

The room returns to normal. The Tybur family sitting around the table with him, Tybur family guards and the Warriors Division members standing. They're all waiting for Eren's decision, aren't they? Is he going to go over to the Tybur family residence? If he goes, will he be able to come back?

No, what he needs to think about isn't that.

It's "what can he gain from this?"

What can he gain from a family that has more power than they let on? What kind of a deal can he strike with the people that have been slowly building connections with the rest of the world?

Eren sips his tea.

"You know, I saw a yellowfin tuna earlier today. If you're amiable to cooking one for me, I'd gladly go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn this brat.
> 
> Theo has no illusions that he and the rest of the Warriors Division will not be welcomed. But he cannot allow this brat of a king to go unsupervised. Especially not after what happened this morning. It makes most amount of sense to send Porco or Colt along with Eren to the Tybur family, but this is also a great chance for the Warriors Division. If they can get information about the illusive Tyburs from this...
> 
> "Your majesty, I insist that you take Pieck along with you as your guard," Theo says.
> 
> The Tybur family doesn't protest. They expected a request like that from him, huh? Do they know about the members of the Warriors Division? Well, even if they know about Pieck's circumstances, it's not like they can create a doctor that can magically cure her father. As long as that illness remain incurable, Theo holds the cards to Pieck's loyalty, Founding Titan's influence or not.
> 
> "I want Zeke," comes the brat's demand.
> 
> Of course, he would. But Zeke's loyalty has been a question mark since he returned from Paradis with his so-called little brother. Like hell Theo can trust him to report back accurately.
> 
> "Then why don't you bring both of them along, your majesty?" the Tybur family head suggests with a peaceful smile. "We are more than willing to accommodate."
> 
> The king shrugs. "Fine with me."
> 
> If they say it like that, then Theo loses the ground. Damn. He's going to have to take the loss for now, isn't he?
> 
> He glances at Zeke and Pieck. They both straightens and look back to him, waiting for his order.
> 
> "Watch over the king."
> 
> He leaves the "report back everything you see" unspoken.


End file.
